For Whom the Bell Tolls
by bubblygal92
Summary: Still reeling from the recent events on Gallifrey, the Doctor and his companions find themselves in one adventure after another. Guardians of Time, the Key to Time and interfering Time Lords are just the beginning. Add in a parallel world, and old and new friends, it's bound to be an interesting ride. Sequel to 'Nothing Else Matters' and Second in the 'Celestial Love' Verse. 8/Rose
1. The Quest: Lost

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Hey guys! Welcome to the first chapter of the first story of the sequel 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. I know it's up sooner than expected but it's because I have been writing at an alarming rate lately. Sorry my other story is a bit slow on the update as a result.**

**Also, if I mess up on the Victorian layers, I am sorry. The 1890s was a time when clothing went through a lot of change and I have tried to be as accurate as possible. **

**Anyway, Part 1 of 'The Quest'. Let's begin.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Quest: Lost**

Rory Williams opened his eyes slowly, the heaviness in his head almost making him drowsy again. It took him a moment to realise that the heaviness was different from a usual hangover. Come to think of it, he didn't even remember drinking.

He forced his eyes open and tried to move only to have pain shoot up through the back of his neck. He groaned internally when he realised that he had a crick in his neck from lying down in a weird position for a long time. The ground beneath him was cool, hard and unfamiliar.

Sighing, he tried to remember if he had been thrown in a prison cell but his brain seemed far too woolly to make any sense. He steeled himself and propped up into a seating position, wincing as nearly all the muscles of his back cracked painfully. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with a disgusted grimace. What the hell had happened?

Now that he was sitting, he realised that wherever he was, it was dark. Not pitch black so that he couldn't see, but more like there was a dim overhead light that cast a weak light around him. He considered shouting for help, when he realised that he wasn't alone.

Just a few feet away from where he had been lying moments before, was a figure with a mass of blonde obscuring their face. He quickly crawled over to them and turned them over. It was Rose.

"Rose," he said, moving her hair away from her face. He checked her pulse and realised that it was fine but she was still out cold. He caught sight of her clothes and a memory flashed through his mind.

"_19__th__ century London," announced the Doctor triumphantly. "1892 to be precise."_

"_Maybe we'll meet Sherlock Holmes," Rose remarked cheekily as she adjusted the cloak around her shoulders. "It will be very easy to even faint in his presence considering the clothes I'm wearing."_

_Rory and the Doctor had laughed but Rory did think that she looked a bit out of breath because of the tight Victorian gown. _

"_What are we laughing about?" asked Amy as she came out into the console room. Like Rose, she was wearing a dark Victorian gown though it was slightly more daring than what Rose was wearing. Rory averted his gaze hastily, trying not to let her see his blush._

"_Put your hair up, Captain," said the Doctor dryly as he started the landing sequence. "You do not want to cause a scandal."_

_Amy made a face but started to put her red hair into a respectable bun. Rose came over and adjusted Rory's cravat. "Suits you," she smiled._

"_Thanks," said Rory, adjusting the dark blue cravat that went with the Victorian attire he was dressed in. _

He put his hand to his neck and found the cravat gone though he was still wearing the rest of his Victorian clothes. He tried calling to Rose again and she opened her eyes slowly, moaning in pain.

"Rose, it's okay," he said, helping her sit up. "It's Rory."

"Rory," she said slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Rose frowned at the odd question but racked her brains.

"_So, 1892? Victorian times then?" Amy asked her as she and Rose went towards the wardrobe room to find appropriate clothes._

_Rose shrugged noncommittally as she pushed open the wardrobe room door and led the way inside. "Over there," she pointed._

_Amy looked slightly out of her depth as she picked up the different Victorian layers and looked at them like they would jump up and attack her. Rose watched her quietly for a moment before sighing. "I'll help you," she offered._

"_Thanks," said Amy. "Look, I know we got off to a wrong start..."_

"_It's fine," said Rose quickly. "We really don't have to turn this into a bonding sisterhood session."_

_Amy nodded and looked away quickly. After a moment of quiet wherein Rose gathered different pieces of Victorian layers and started laying out two of each on a long table, Amy lost her patience. "Do you have a problem with me travelling with you or something?" she demanded._

_Rose looked slightly startled at her outburst before composing herself. "I don't have a problem," she said. "Start putting those on in the order that I laid them out," she told her._

_Amy grumbled under her breath as she took off her shirt and undergarments and tossed them off. She was halfway done undoing her trousers when she heard Rose squeak. "What now?" Amy asked._

_Rose had her eyes closed. "Some modesty, please," she said. She cautiously opened one eye, keeping her gaze on her face._

"_I'm from the 52__nd__ century," said Amy, stepping out of her trousers and tossing them away. "I can walk around like this public. Well, I would catch a cold or something but that's all."_

"_Right," said Rose, finally opening her eyes yet looking everywhere but right at her. "Put those on so that I can lace up your corset."_

_Amy nodded and watched as Rose went behind a screen to get dressed in her clothes. When she stepped out, she had a corset hanging loosely on her body over layers of Victorian undergarment that Amy was currently trying to figure out. "How do you know all of this?" Amy asked her finally, holding up something that looked like a very short white lace jumpsuit._

_Rose gave a small chuckle. "It's my planet's history," she said. "And I had a bit of a thing for Austen's writing. Didn't you have any work in this era when you were a Time Agent?"_

"_I mostly worked around the 36__th__ and 38__th__ century," Amy confessed as Rose took the thing she was holding up (which was a combined chemise and drawers) and helped her into it. "With a sprinkled bit of late 21__st__ and early 22__nd__ century."_

_Rose made a hum of acknowledgment as she got Amy dressed in the many layers before picking up the expensive looking lace and silk corset. "Hold on to that post," she told her. Amy looked confused but held on. Rose quickly walked up behind her and started lacing up the corset. "Deep breath in and hold it," Rose instructed._

_Amy did as she was told and Rose began tightening the corset. Amy could hardly breathe but when Rose declared her done, she exhaled in relief and found that it wasn't as uncomfortable as it had been while it was being laced up. _

"_You'll need to do it for me too," said Rose. "It's easy enough."_

_Amy wasn't quite as sure but after fumbling for a few seconds, she got the rhythm right. She was concentrating so deeply on her work that she jumped slightly when Rose spoke softly. "I meant it when I said that I don't have a problem with you travelling with us," she said quietly. "I doubt we'll be best friends immediately but I'm glad to have another female presence on board. The Doctor and Rory can drive me up the wall sometimes."_

_Amy chuckled as she finished lacing up Rose's corset. "I can imagine," she said. "My team was all male too. Drove me barmy sometimes."_

"_Do you miss them?" Rose asked as she turned around. _

"_No," said Amy. "Besides with the Daleks' interference now gone, who knows where or when they are. We had a good run but I guess I was just waiting for something better to come along."_

_Rose nodded. "I know the feeling," she said. "Now, usually we would wear a bustle but we are going to cheat and wear a dress that has a built-in one."_

"_I like this one," said Amy, holding up a deep blue one._

_Rose nodded as she picked up a green one. "I'll help you into it," and then smiled her first genuine smile at the Captain._

"Uh, Amy and I getting dressed," Rose answered to Rory. "Where is she? And the Doctor, for that matter?"

"I don't know," said Rory. "Can you stand?"

Rose nodded and took his offered hand to stand up. "Where are we, do you think?" she asked.

"It definitely isn't 1892 London," said Rory. "This floor looks too futuristic."

Rose glanced at her feet and realised he was right. "Do you have a match or a torch or something? We need more light if we are going to look for the Doctor and Amy," she said.

Rory searched through his pockets and found a small lighter. Rose raised her eyebrows at it. "It must have already been in the coat," he said, at once. "You know I don't smoke."

Rose nodded but still gave him a stern look. Rory flicked it open and tried to get it alight. It took three tries before a long purple flame erupted from it that was nearly a foot long. "Okay, now I believe it isn't yours," said Rose with a giggle when Rory nearly dropped it in his surprise. "That is definitely alien."

Rory had hardly heard Rose's laugh. He held up the tall flame in front of him and moved it around to get a look of their surroundings. "Rose," he said finally. "Remember when I said that this looked a bit futuristic?"

"Yeah, what of it?" asked Rose.

Rory held the light near one of the walls and Rose's eyes widened. They were in a corridor. A very familiar corridor. "You see?" he asked.

"Yes," said Rose. "We're inside the TARDIS."

* * *

"Captain? Can you hear me?"

Amy tried to raise a hand to swat away the voice but found that she couldn't move it. Panic rose up in her chest and she jumped up from her place on the floor, only to stumble and nearly fall. It took her a moment to realise that someone had steadied her and prevented her from falling and possibly injuring herself.

She blinked quickly and a man's face swam into focus. It was the Doctor.

"Ah, there we are," he said, gently letting her go. "Deep breaths in and out."

"What happened?" Amy asked, feeling her heart beating madly in her chest from her recent fright. Or was it because of the frightfully tight Victorian clothing that she was still wearing?

"That is a very good question," said the Doctor as he sat down on the floor, crossing his legs as he did. "And one that I don't have the answer to. I do hate not having answers to questions," he said, sounding like a mournful child.

"Doctor," said Amy. "Where are we?"

"In the TARDIS, of course," he said as if she was mad.

"Right," said Amy and tried to look around but the light was too dim. Then, she remembered a small flare that she had tucked into her garter belt. She slipped a hand under her dress much to the Doctor's astonishment, and pulled out the flare.

"Is that a Lyonian flare?" he asked.

"Yes," said Amy as she turned it on. Immediately, they were surrounded by a bright yellow light.

"Dare I ask where you were hiding that?" asked the Doctor.

Instead of answering, Amy winked at him. "Do you really want to know, Doc?" she asked in her best flirty voice.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows before chuckling. "52nd century, I almost forgot," he said. "And do refrain from calling me 'Doc'."

Amy didn't take it personally that he was unaffected by her flirting. He was a Time Lord, which was a technically asexual species according to the official records. Even if they hadn't been, the Doctor clearly had a preference for the blonde Earth girl that he travelled with. Despite her time period where everyone flirted as naturally as breathing, trying to break up a couple or adultery was frowned upon. People would rather ask their lovers to join them with their spouse rather than cheat on them but that was a different matter entirely.

She cleared her throat. "So, if we are in the TARDIS, why was I unconscious? And where are Rose and Rory?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed and Amy saw that he was worried. "I don't know where they were. I was unconscious as well but I awoke before you," he confessed. "We are in the TARDIS but I am uncertain as to which part we are in or how we got here."

"But it's your ship," said Amy. "How big can it really be?"

"Time and relativity, Captain," said the Doctor, rolling his eyes. "Time and relativity. It can be as big or as small as the relative dimensions allow it to be."

"What about your telepathic connection?" Amy asked as the Doctor stood up and offered her a hand. "I have read that a Time Lord's imprint is on his capsule's briode nebuliser."

"You are correct," said the Doctor as they let the flare's light guide their way through the corridor. "Yet my connection to the TARDIS has been muted. Like interference on a radio."

"What could do that?" asked Amy with a gasp.

She saw the Doctor's jaw clench in anger. "I don't know but I intend to find out. Come along, Pond."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading.**

**So, trapped in the TARDIS. That should be fun. **

**I am thinking of updating this story every Tuesday and Friday. What do you think?**

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of this one. The next part will be up by Friday.**

**~ Phoenix**


	2. The Quest: Red

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thank you for the overwhelming response on the first chapter of the story. I love each and every one of you so much!**

**For those of you waiting for the next chapter of 'Desperado', I'll have it up over the weekend. I promise.**

**Here is Part 2 of 'The Quest'. The Doctor and companions have to make their way through the maze of the TARDIS corridors to find out exactly what is going on. Bound to be fun.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Quest: Red**

_Previously_

"_Rose," he said finally. "Remember when I said that this looked a bit futuristic?"_

"_Yeah, what of it?" asked Rose._

_Rory held the light near one of the walls and Rose's eyes widened. They were in a corridor. A very familiar corridor. "You see?" he asked._

"_Yes," said Rose. "We're inside the TARDIS."_

"67 bottles of beer on the wall..." sang Rory under his breath as Rose marked the door that they had just come with a cross made from her lipstick.

"Stop singing that stupid song," snapped Rose as she put away her rapidly diminishing tube of lipstick. "It's catchy and annoying."

"You got a better idea?" he asked. "I started at 200 bottles and I'm now getting a headache. Plus, my feet ache because we have been walking for what feels like hours."

"_Your_ feet hurt?" asked Rose angrily. "Trying walking about in heels."

Rory made a face as they made their way through yet another dark corridor. "66 bottles of beer on the wall, 66 bottle of beer..."

"...take one down, drink it down. 65 bottle of beer..." Rose joined in as she marked the next door.

* * *

"_I have read that a Time Lord's imprint is on his capsule's briode nebuliser."_

"_You are correct," said the Doctor as they let the flare's light guide their way through the corridor. "Yet my connection to the TARDIS has been muted. Like interference on a radio."_

"_What could do that?" asked Amy with a gasp._

_She saw the Doctor's jaw clench in anger. "I don't know but I intend to find out. Come along, Pond."_

"Pond?" asked Amy with a smile as they wandered through the maze of corridors.

"Well it's your last name isn't it?" asked the Doctor. "I don't much like military terms, so calling you 'Captain' is getting old."

"I do have a name, you know," she said.

"Ah yes, Amelia," he nodded. "Like a name in a fairytale. Yet you choose to be called Amy."

"Rory gave me that name," she said, hoping that he couldn't see her blush in the dark. "Never had a nickname before so I thought I would keep it."

The Doctor hid his smile. "Well, that's a good reason as any to keep a name," he said.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Amy sighed. "You really ought to get this place signposted," she said. "How long have we been walking?"

"Forty three minutes," he answered shortly. He stopped suddenly and touched the door in front of them. Amy moved closer to him and saw that the door bore a cross drawn in red. She was about to ask what it was when the Doctor put his nose to the door and sniffed it quickly. Then, to her enormous surprise, he gave it a quick lick. "Hmm, Red Passion," he said.

"You know lipstick shades?" asked Amy before she could help it.

The Doctor snorted as he opened the door. "Hardly," he said. "It's Rose's."

* * *

"43 bottles of beer on the wall, 43 bottles of beer..." sang Rose and Rory in perfect harmony. "Take them dow..." they both stopped when they felt a cold breeze at their backs. They turned around only to find that there was a wall there now.

"What the hell?" muttered Rory.

Rose tapped the wall with her knuckles. "It's solid," she said and then shook her head. "The corridors have been moving, it seems."

"So we're the idiots going round and round in circles for hours?" asked Rory as he sat down, leaning against the wall. "Just perfect," he said bitterly.

Rose sat down next to him and sighed. "This is ridiculous. Why are we trapped inside the TARDIS?" she asked.

Rory opened his mouth to answer only to be cut off by a loud roar that raised the hairs on their arms. He met Rose's equally horrified gaze. "What was that?" he asked in a whisper.

The roar was louder this time and Rose and Rory jumped to their feet. "It came from down there," she said, pointing straight ahead which was the only way they could go now that there was a wall at their backs.

"Right okay," said Rory as he took Rose's hand and they began to move down the corridor cautiously.

It was silent now and the only sounds they could hear were their own muted footsteps and breathing. They were walking for about five minutes when they came across a door. Unlike the plain white doors that they had encountered so far, this was a pair of dark red double doors set in a gothic archway.

The roar sounded again and the two of them jumped slightly. The roar had definitely come from the beyond the doors. They exchanged a look before pulling the double doors open. They had been expecting to encounter a ferocious beast ready to tear them apart. What they did see was a courtroom.

"What the hell?" murmured Rory as he and Rose slowly entered the room. It was a wide circular room, surrounded by long, Grecian columns. A woman wearing a plain white toga sat at the head atop a high throne and it was plain to see that she was the judge or the closest equivalent to whatever this trial was.

To her right, in a raised gallery were a group of 12 men dressed in white. While not as regal as the judge, they were still holding themselves importantly. The man on trial was standing in the middle of the room, being gazed down upon by what was clearly the judge and the jury. A group of three vulgarly dressed women were standing at the throne's foot, hissing angrily and pointing at the accused.

"Silence!" the judge ordered imperiously and the three women fell silent but continued to glare at the accused. "The proceedings shall now begin. Who brings the charge?"

"We do! The furies do!" the three women cackled in harsh voices.

Rose and Rory glanced at each other in confusion. No one seemed to have noticed their presence; it was as if they were observing a film yet everything seemed solid enough.

"And what is the charge?" asked the judge calmly, raising a perfect brow.

"Matricide," cackled the furies. "Orestes murdered his mother! And the punishment for this heinous crime shall be nothing but death!"

"I decide what punishment should be doled out," said the judge coolly and the furies fell silent at once. "Orestes," she said, looking at the accused. "What do you say to these charges?"

The accused, Orestes, gave a deep bow towards her. "My dear lady Athena," he said in a calm voice. "It is true that I have killed my mother. But I only did so because I was instructed to do so."

Rory and Rose gasped. Athena? Orestes? They had walked right in the middle of Greek mythology. They stayed frozen, unsure about what to do.

"You were instructed?" asked Athena. "By whom?"

Orestes turned and pointed right at Rory. "He did!" he said. "Lord Apollo told me to kill my mother."

At first, Rory thought he was pointing to someone behind him but it was quickly clear that Orestes meant him. "What?" he asked incredulously. "I didn't tell him to kill anyone. And I'm not Apollo. Rose, tell them!"

There was no reply and he turned to look at Rose, only to find her staring straight ahead of her, unmoving and unseeing. "Rose?" he touched her shoulder but it had no effect. It was like she had been frozen in time.

"Apollo!" called Athena in a commanding tone. "Enter the court."

Rory tried again to call to Rose but she remained as still as a statue. Giving up, he walked into the courtroom slowly. Orestes beamed at him as he entered and Rory felt his gut churn. What the hell was going on?

"We would like to hear what you have to say for yourself, Apollo," said Athena calmly. "Did you instruct Orestes to kill his mother?"

Rory paused to think his answer through. He wasn't exactly clear on this legend; he knew Roman stories better than the Greek ones for obvious reasons. While he knew who Orestes was, he really did not remember this part of the mythology.

He took a deep breath. "I did not instruct him to kill his mother," he said clearly.

There was whispering from the jury which went silent when Athena turned her cool gaze on them. The furies were jeering in happiness.

Orestes was gazing at Rory with a betrayed expression on his face. "What?" asked Orestes, aghast. "But you said. You promised!"

"What did he promise?" asked Athena.

"Why does it matter?" asked one of the furies. "Orestes is merely trying to run from his crime. Let us kill him for it!"

"Silence!" Athena ordered. She turned to Orestes. "Have you been lying to the court, Orestes?"

"My lady Athena, I haven't been lying to the court," said Orestes earnestly. "I do not know why Lord Apollo is turning on his word."

"Apollo?" asked Athena.

Rory took a deep breath. "I would never ask anyone to kill their own mother," he said honestly. Screw the faux scene of a Greek tragedy; there was no way he could support someone who killed their own mother only because a supposed god told them to do it. He missed his mother everyday and he had lived far too long without her. And Orestes had taken his mother's life. Rory was all for leaving him at the mercy of the furies.

"He lies!" yelled Orestes, madness gathering in his eyes. "He said that a mother is not a true kin."

"How is your own mother not your true kin?" demanded Rory angrily, glaring at Orestes. "She gave birth to you. You share the same blood."

"I have my father's blood not my mother's," snapped Orestes. "She was merely a container; a vessel to nurture my father's seed in."

"A container?!" Rory exploded. "You complete arse! She was your mother. You are a part of her. She cared enough to let you come into this world and you dismiss her as some sort of an object? How dare you?!" Rory saw red and he clenched his fist to punch Orestes but before he could, everything around him went still.

He looked around quickly but the whole scene had frozen up just like Rose. He heard a single person clapping slowly and he turned in the direction. His mouth fell open as he saw a woman so beautiful that she couldn't possibly be real, literally floating towards him.

She had long red hair that brushed the ground as she walked and she was wearing a flowing red gown. Her eyes were a uniquely amber colour and her arms and wrist were adorned with ruby studded gold jewellery.

"Well done," she said, smiling at Rory. "Well done, Rory Williams."

"Who are you?" he asked, completely in awe of this unearthly beauty.

"I am a Guardian of Time," she answered. "More specifically, the Red Guardian. The Guardian of Justice and Truth."

"Right," said Rory, eyes still wide. "So, this was what? A test?"

"Correct," she smiled. "A test to see if you knew the importance of truth and justice."

"And I passed?" asked Rory, just to make sure.

"With flying colours," she beamed. "You looked like you were about to hit Orestes. While I would have quite loved to see it, I had to stop it."

"Did Orestes get punished?" he asked curiously.

The Red Guardian sighed. "No," she said. "The real Apollo did defend him. He drew on the fact that Athena was born from her father's forehead rather than from a mother which meant that a mother was an unessential part of a child's life."

"That's ridiculous," snapped Rory.

"That's ephemerals for you," she said. "I will never quite understand you all."

"But what's it all for?" asked Rory. "You trapped us in the TARDIS and gave me a test. Why?"

The Red Guardian smiled. "You shall know in time," she promised. "For now, revel in the pleasure of passing your test, Rory Williams."

With that, she vanished into thin air, taking the courtroom and all its occupants with her. Rory turned around and saw Rose stirring as if waking up from a dream. It took a moment for her to focus and she gasped and ran to Rory. "Rory, what happened?" she asked.

In a quiet voice filled with awe, he explained about the Red Guardian and the test of justice and truth. Rose listened in silence and when he was done, she gave him a hug. "You did well, Rory," she said.

"But that is not what happened in history," he said. "Had this been real, I would have messed up history."

"I think that was the real test," said Rose wisely. "Would you pick the truth and justice over history?"

Rory's eyes went wide. "Really?" he asked.

"It makes sense," said Rose. She beamed at him. "You passed the Guardian's test."

"You are taking this remarkably well," said Rory.

"Well at least now we know that we are not trapped by something bad," said Rose. "She said that she was a Guardian of Time, wasn't she? Then she doesn't want to harm us. Whatever reason she has for testing us, there is a reason behind it all."

"You're right," nodded Rory. "Think we should keep moving?"

"Oh yes," said Rose. "Because I'm quite sure it will be my turn next."

Rory squeezed her hand as the two of them left the empty chamber and went back out into the corridors. Taking a collective deep breath, they ventured into the dark corridors again.

* * *

The Doctor and Amy followed the track of Rose's lipstick but after the seventh door, the trail went cold. The Doctor huffed in frustration while Amy cursed outright.

"What now?" she asked.

The Doctor turned around and his eyes went wide when he saw the wall that had appeared behind them. "I think the TARDIS or really, whatever is trapping us here, wants us to keep going straight."

Amy nodded as the two of them kept moving down the corridors. They kept moving straight until they came across a pair of deep blue double doors set in a gothic archway. Exchanging a look, they pushed the door open and Amy gasped when she saw what was inside.

"Welcome Princess," came the warm voice. Amy felt terror seize her heart. She knew this story far too well and if she was being thrust into the role of the princess then she had a choice to make.

A choice that could make or break the universe.

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. So how was it?**

**I know there are varying accounts of Orestes' punishment but I relied on the Aeschylus one from the Euminedes. In that, Apollo does defend Orestes by proving that a mother is not a true kin, hence the furies (whose job it is to punish blood crimes) couldn't punish Orestes. We have little to no canon information about Rory's mother and if you remember, in this verse I had his poor mother killed when he was 11. So, I suppose the injustice would resonate quite deeply with him.**

**The Guardians are canon (most of them, anyway). There are six of them. More info on them to come in later chapters. **

**Anyway, it's Amy's turn next. That will be Part 3. Let me know what you thought of this one.**

**The next one will be up on Tuesday. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	3. The Quest: Azure

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for all the wonderful reviews on the last chapter. I guess everyone is excited for the Guardians. **

**Without further ado, here is Part 3 of the story. We see Amy's test as well as the beginning of Rose's test. I guess the Guardian is evident from the title already.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Quest: Azure**

_Previously_

_They kept moving straight until they came across a pair of deep blue double doors set in a gothic archway. Exchanging a look, they pushed the door open and Amy gasped when she saw what was inside._

"_Welcome Princess," came the warm voice. Amy felt terror seize her heart. She knew this story far too well and if she was being thrust into the role of the princess then she had a choice to make._

_A choice that could make or break the universe. _

"No," said Amy. "Doctor! Don't let them do this! Doctor?"

Amy looked around but the Doctor was nowhere in sight. The doors behind her were shut. She ran to them and tried to open them again but they wouldn't budge. Amy turned back to see a young handmaiden dressed in a spun blue dress bow at her.

"Welcome Princess," she said. "This way, please."

Amy gave up struggling and followed the handmaiden to the castle at the edge of the cliff. She knew exactly how this story went. It had been her favourite story when she was a child.

_Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, lived a princess who lived in a castle as blue as the moon of Kerlone. Her hair was as red as blood, and she was lovely and very intelligent. But she was also very lonely for her parents had died when she was very young. She was raised by her uncle, called Onio. _

_Onio loved his dear niece very much and cared for her like any father would for his own daughter. He made sure that she had plenty of toys to play with and her smile meant everything to him._

"Princess," a man greeted her and Amy knew instinctively that this would be Onio in this convoluted reality.

"Uncle Onio," she said, curtsying like she had always done in front of the mirror after her mother had read the story to her.

"Come, my dear," said Onio with a kind smile. "Our people wait for you. Today, you shall ascend the throne and become our Queen. It is time for you to take your rightful place."

_When the princess was old enough, she was deigned ready to ascend the throne and become Queen. It was a big day for the princess and dignitaries from all over the kingdom had come to witness this joyous event._

_The princess was dressed in a gown so blue that it matched her beautiful castle. When she entered the throne room, everyone was struck by how beautiful the princess was. They all stood up to welcome her. _

Amy's lips quirked at the irony of the blue dress she had chosen randomly in the wardrobe room earlier with Rose. Who knew? She curtsied again when the throne room full of people bowed to her.

Her face set in a fixed smiling mask, she remembered the next part of the story.

_Onio, as her uncle, would be the one to crown her. He lifted up the beautiful crown and held it up to the throne room. "Ladies and gentlemen, dignitaries, and our dear subjects, the time has come to crown our princess. It is a joy that is unequalled..."_

_As Onio continued to give his speech, the assassin in the crowd went unnoticed. He moved stealthily through the masses and was soon right in the forefront. He drew a small crossbow that had the poison dart attached to it. He took careful aim._

Amy saw the assassin move through the crowd.

_The dart flew through the air and hit Onio's chest, missing the Princess. There was a loud gasp as Onio choked loudly and fell to the ground, dead. The Princess wailed in sorrow as she saw her beloved uncle (who was like a father to her) die right in front of her, protecting her like he always had. She knelt by his body and wept into his chest._

_The pure tears of the princess fell on the poisonous dart and began to cleanse the poison off. Slowly, Onio started to stir again. The love of the princess had brought her uncle back. Sorrow turned to joy and the princess became the greatest Queen their kingdom had ever had. _

_And they all lived happily after her._

Of course, that had been the version that she had been read to as a child. A few years ago, out of morbid curiosity, she had found a book containing the original story. It had gone a lot differently.

_The dart flew through the air and hit Onio's chest, missing the Princess. There was a loud gasp as Onio choked loudly and fell to the ground, dead. The Princess wailed in sorrow as she saw her beloved uncle die right in front of her, protecting her like he always had. She knelt by his body and wept into his chest._

"_Save him!" she begged. "Bring him back!"_

"_Nothing can bring him back from death," the people tried to tell her._

_But the princess was stubborn and refused to accept it. She asked that her uncle's body be kept safe until she got back. And then she got on her Pegasus and flew to the mountains to find the old magician who lived there. _

_After nearly three full days, she found the old magician. "Help me," she begged. "Bring my uncle back."_

"_I cannot," he said simply._

"_Please, I will give you whatever you want," she offered._

"_For a life to be given back, a life must be taken. The balance of the universe must be maintained," he said. "Whose life will you bargain for your uncle's?"_

"_Mine," she said. "I shall bargain my own life."_

"_Very well," said the magician and gave her a dagger. "Stab your uncle in his poison wound with this. When he is alive and well again, you must stab yourself with it."_

_Elated at having succeeded, the Princess returned to the kingdom. She did as the magician had instructed and stabbed her uncle. Slowly, he began to awaken. The Princess felt joy seize her heart at having him back._

_There was much pomp after Onio's resurrection. There were celebrations all over the kingdom. In all the happiness, the Princess forgot that she hadn't fulfilled the other part of her bargain._

_Days passed and Onio was completely well again. But then misery started to spread through the kingdom. The lakes started to dry, the crops started to die, people started going hungry and getting desperate. And yet, no one died._

_Oh, a few people came very close to dying but no one actually died. The Princess became distressed. She couldn't understand what had happened to bring such misery upon her beloved kingdom. It was only when Onio asked her how she had brought him back that she remembered that the old magician had told her about the balance of the universe._

_She began to cry as she confessed everything to Onio. He felt his heart break at all that his niece had endured. He took the dagger, intending to kill himself and set the balance right. But the Princess wouldn't hear of it._

Amy frowned as she realised that the story's end changed at this point. Some books say that the Princess refused to let Onio kill himself and ran into the dagger herself which broke the curse upon their kingdom. Other legends say that Onio sacrificed himself to save the kingdom and the Princess and before he died, he made her promise that she wouldn't try to bring him back again.

The assassin was nearly at the front now and Amy had a choice to make. What would she do? Would she let Onio die? And if he did, would she make the deal with the magician or let him stay dead? The balance of the universe was important.

_I, Amelia Jessica Pond, do swear an oath as a member of the Time Agency to uphold the laws of the universe and do my duty towards all its citizens. If ever there is a time when it comes between the universe and my own life, I shall pick the universe and will not hesitate to sacrifice myself in order to restore the balance of the universe. _

She didn't exactly know how the TARDIS had landed her in this place but with the balance of the universe at stake, she really couldn't risk it. If there was a death that had to happen...

The assassin fired the dart and Amy pushed Onio out of the way. The dart hit her abdomen and she felt immense pain shoot through her. She knew she was dying but at least the universe was safe. Despite her not being a Time Agent any longer, she had kept her oath and done her duty.

The pain disappeared as quickly as it had happened and Amy was confused. She began to sit up, only to realise that she was in an empty room. "Well done," said a man and a gloved hand was offered to her.

Amy's eyes widened as she saw a handsome man with curly blonde hair and eyes so blue that she had to blink to make sure they were real and not a trick of the light. "What?" she asked, confused.

"A job well done, Amelia Pond," he said. "I suppose you are confused as to who I am. I am the Azure Guardian. The Guardian of Equilibrium and Balance."

"You're a Guardian of Time," gasped Amy. "I thought you were just a myth."

"Yes, we do prefer to let the ephemerals think that," he said dismissively.

"Then why bother with this ephemeral?" asked Amy sarcastically. She did not appreciate her sacrifice being a source of amusement for the Eternals.

He raised his eyebrow. "Your impertinence is a hindrance. If you had not passed this test, I would have delighted in reminding you of your place."

"A test for what exactly?" asked Amy, ignoring the poorly concealed threat.

"Unimportant for now," he said. "Enough to know that you passed. Better be on your way."

"Hang on, I've got more questions!" yelled Amy but he had disappeared. Grumbling under her breath, she left the chamber and found the Doctor pacing outside the doors.

"Amy!" he cried in relief when he saw her. "You went inside before I could stop you and the doors wouldn't open again," he said frantically. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, yeah," Amy nodded. "Met a Guardian of Time, though."

The Doctor looked at her sharply. "What?" he demanded.

Amy explained the story and the simulation that the Azure Guardian had trapped her in. The Doctor looked thoughtful by the time she had finished. "I see," he said, finally. "The Guardians seem to have taken interest in me again."

"Again?" asked Amy.

"Oh yes," said the Doctor. "It is not my first brush with them and certainly won't be the last. I wonder what they want this time. They haven't really tried to test my companions before."

"Guess we're just special then?" joked Amy.

The Doctor gave a half-hearted smile. "You know as well as I do that being on the radar of the Guardians can be catastrophic. Let's hope that Rose and Rory are not facing anything worse than this."

They headed down the corridor and slowed down when they heard quick footsteps coming towards them. The Doctor stopped Amy and moved ahead of her, trying to see who it was.

"...31 bottles of beer on the wall, 31 bottles of beer..."

Giving a sigh of relief, the Doctor ran towards them, Amy close on his heels. "I do hope that you haven't been singing that all along," said the Doctor with a wide smile.

Rory and Rose looked up and beamed in delight. "Doctor!" Rose exclaimed and ran straight into his arms for a hug. The Doctor picked her up and twirled her slightly. "Thank god we found you."

"So, you two run into Guardians too?" asked Amy as she squeezed Rory's arm in delight.

"Just one," answered Rory. "The Red Guardian. I got put in Apollo's shoes during Orestes' trial."

The Doctor winced at that. "That could not have been easy," he said sympathetically.

"It wasn't that bad," said Rory. "What is next, do you think?"

"That door I would say," said Rose, pointing at a pair of golden double doors that had seemingly materialised out of nowhere further down the corridor.

"Keeping with the theme, I would say that belongs to the Gold Guardian," said Amy.

"Who was the Gold Guardian?" asked Rory.

The Doctor sighed grimly. "The Guardian of Life and Death," he said.

"Who hasn't been tested yet?" asked Amy.

"Me," answered Rose as she looked at the doors. "My test is about Life and Death?"

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry," he said. "We are all going to be with you."

Rose tried to smile at his optimistic tone. She felt Rory grip her shoulder in comfort and saw Amy's comforting smile as she faced the door. She pushed them open and set foot inside.

The room was completely empty save for a woman dressed in a shimmering gold dress, standing calmly in the middle of the room. Her blonde hair was long and adorned with delicate gold chains. She seemed to literally glow an ethereal gold.

"Welcome Rose," she said in a soothing voice.

Rose wondered why she didn't greet the others, only to realise that she was completely alone. The Doctor, Amy and Rory were nowhere in sight. Trying not to let her panic show, she nodded at the Gold Guardian.

"Your friends are fine," said the Guardian with a smile. "But I suppose you must know that this is your test."

Rose nodded again, not trusting herself to speak yet.

"Very well," said the Guardian and a spotlight appeared behind her.

Rose gasped as she saw three long glass holding cells, big enough to hold one person each, illuminated by the spotlight. The first one had the Doctor, the next one had Rory and the last one had Amy. They were all in a trance-like state, unable to move or say anything.

"The test is simple," said the Gold Guardian. "Life or death. Except you can only save two of them. The third one will die. Your choice, Rose."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 3. Thanks for reading.**

**To those of you wondering why the Doctor is not being tested, I would say it's because the Guardians know him well enough already. But he will still face a Guardian in the next chapter. ****But Rose has a choice to make. She can only save two. **

**Did you like Amy's test? I made up the fairytale using cobbled up bits and pieces of different fairytales. **

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of it. And now, it's past midnight here meaning that it's the 27th of March and I am officially 21 years old. I really don't feel all that different though.**

**The final part will be up on Friday. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	4. The Quest: White and Gold

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid.**

**A/N Thanks for the awesome birthday wishes and reviews on the last chapter. I can't believe we are already at the final part of the first story in the sequel. Time flies and all that...**

**Anyway, Part 4 of 'The Quest'. Finally we realise the Guardians' intention. And exactly what 'The Quest' is all about.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Quest: White and Gold**

_Previously_

_Rose gasped as she saw three long glass holding cells, big enough to hold one person, illuminated by the spotlight. The first one had the Doctor, the next one had Rory and the last one had Amy. They were all in a trance-like state, unable to move or say anything._

"_The test is simple," said the Gold Guardian. "Life or death. Except you can only save two of them. The third one will die. Your choice, Rose."_

Rose shook her head. "I can't do that," she said.

"It's not a difficult test, Rose," said the Guardian, staring at her squarely.

"But if this really is _just_ a test, then it doesn't really matter who I pick, do I?" she asked suddenly. "No one will _actually_ die."

"Ah," smiled the Guardian. "No, I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Had Rory Williams defended Orestes, he would have found himself killed by the furies. Had Amelia Pond not taken that poison dart meant for Onio, she would have been forced to stab herself by the dagger later. Ergo, you have to make your choice and if you make the wrong choice, the person you chose to die will really die."

Rose felt her triumphant smile slide off. She really had been hoping for an easier choice to make. If what the Guardian had said was true, then one mistake on her part could mean that one of them would die. How was she meant to make that choice?

"Take your time with it," said the Gold Guardian pleasantly. "Remember that the one you condemn to death will really die if you are wrong."

"Why, though?" asked Rose suddenly. "Why are we being tested like this?"

"There will be time for that later," said the Guardian dismissively. "If you prove yourself worthy, then you shall know our purpose."

"And I become worthy by killing one of my friends?" demanded Rose, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes," answered the Guardian simply.

Rose gritted her teeth and looked at the three glass holding cells. The Doctor was first. Out of the question, she would never kill the Doctor. It was just outrageous. She shook her head slowly and looked at the next cell which held Rory.

She had known him for a while now and cared a great deal for him. He was like the annoying brother she never wished she had yet she couldn't help but love him. He was brilliant and she could not kill him anymore than he could kill her.

Which left Amelia Pond. Rose had not been particularly fond of her when they had first met. She was a Space Pirate, a common thief. Yet, she had helped them save the universe from the Daleks. After the events were all over and done with, she had expected that Amy would be dropped off wherever she wanted and they would keep going.

However, she hadn't anticipated what had actually happened.

"_That is...unbelievable," said Rory, his eyes wide with awe as the Doctor finished the story of the Bad Wolf._

"_It still begs the question of how Rose knew to activate the defence," said Amy._

_Rose reluctantly had to admit she had a point. She looked at the Doctor for an answer and he avoided her gaze, choosing to straighten his cravat instead. Feeling slightly irritated, Rose added the other thing that was bothering her. "And since when do Time Lords believe in goddesses?"_

_The Doctor sighed. "One of Gallifrey's founders was always said to be...a bit eccentric," he admitted. "He was the one who put the defence in. But I don't know why Rose could activate it."_

"_What was the founder called?" asked Rose._

_The Doctor stopped twirling the vector tracker. "The Other," he said._

"_That's an odd name," said Rory._

"_Yes well, it's not very important now," said the Doctor. He turned to Amy. "So, Captain, have you made up your mind about where you want to be left off?"_

_Amy looked a bit surprised and then shook her head. "I have...no idea. I don't know when or where my crew could be. I suppose you could drop me off on Lyon. I can start again."_

_The Doctor stared at her thoughtfully for a long moment. "Yes," he said finally. "Or, you are welcome to join us."_

_Amy stared at him in shock. "Okay," she said finally. "Count me in."_

"_Splendid!" said the Doctor. "Let's see now: the Victorian times sound good. How about it?"_

With a shaky breath, Rose was brought back to the present. It would be easy to pick Amy to be the one sent to her death but Rose felt sick to her stomach at the thought. Granted that she didn't know Amy as well as the Doctor or Rory, or even cared about her as much as she did about them, but there was no way she was going to kill her. That was unfair, not to mention completely wrong.

She saw the Guardian watch her patiently and Rose took a steadying breath. She had to change her perspective. If it had been her in one of the cases, she would have gladly sacrificed herself to save the others. Then, she thought about what the Doctor would do.

The answer came to her in a flash. She looked up at the Guardian and gave a nod. "I have made my choice," she said.

Still smiling, the Gold Guardian gave her a small, flat device that looked like a remote control. It had three switches, numbered from one to three. "Each of the switches corresponds to the cells in front of you. Switch on the two that you want to save."

Rose took the remote control and wondered again if she was making the right choice. But she thought of the Doctor again and what he would do in this circumstance and her decision solidified itself in her mind.

Without hesitating, she pressed switch number 2. A green light lit above Rory's head and he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Hands shaking, Rose felt herself waver just a little bit as she thought of the next part of her task. Her eyes moved between the Doctor and Amy and she finally just closed her eyes and pressed...switch number 3.

The remote vanished from her hands and Rose opened her eyes only to find that the glass cases had disappeared. The Gold Guardian stood there with a calculating look in her eyes, and a disorientated Rory and Amy standing behind her. "Well," the Guardian said finally. "It seems you have made your choice."

"Was it the right one?" asked Rose, shakily.

The Guardian gave her a smile. "Only time will tell," and vanished into thin air.

"No! Come back!" Rose yelled. "Where's the Doctor?"

"Rose, what happened?" Rory asked as he rubbed his head.

Rose barely heard him as she felt her legs tremble. "I killed the Doctor," she whispered, aghast.

* * *

The Doctor ran a hand through his curls and tried to steady his vision. The last thing he remembered was leading Rose into the Gold Guardian's test. And then, nothing. Until he had woken up nearly twenty seconds earlier.

It was in an empty chamber and the Doctor waited patiently for one of the Guardians to reveal themselves. So, he was not disappointed when the White Guardian appeared casually out of thin air. He was dressed in a crisp white tailored suit, with a white panama hat on his head.

Unlike the last time the Doctor had met him in his fourth form, he wasn't carrying a drink nor was he seated. He was standing rigidly with a grave expression on his face.

"Ah," said the Doctor. "I suppose you are here to tell me why precisely you are putting my companions through twisted tests?" he asked. "Sir," he added at the end, not wanting to aggravate the situation further.

"We had to ensure that they were capable," said the White Guardian.

"I would have told you that if you had asked," said the Doctor. "And on a related matter, capable for what, precisely?"

The White Guardian sighed and crossed his arms at his back. "A grave danger threatens our universe, Doctor," he said.

"You mean worse than what just happened?" he asked, thinking of Gallifrey almost being wiped from the skies. "Sir," he added hastily.

"Much, much worse," said the White Guardian. "It is not just about the ephemeral universe anymore, Doctor. The War has begun among the Guardians themselves."

"I assume that you are referring to the Black Guardian," said the Doctor. "All due respect, sir, but you and the Black Guardian are supposed to be at odds. That is how the universe maintains its balance."

"Yes, I am aware of that, Doctor," said the White Guardian, his tone slightly admonishing. "However, I am afraid the Black Guardian has been joined by another Guardian."

"Impossible," said the Doctor. "The Guardians are supposed to be independent."

"Yet the Crystal Guardian has chosen to ally himself with the Black Guardian," said the White Guardian.

The Doctor almost gasped out loud. "The Crystal Guardian? Meaning..."

"The Celestial Toymaker, as I believe he called himself when he met you," said the White Guardian. "Now, you see my concern."

"And you have the remaining Guardians on your side. Red, Azure and Gold," guessed the Doctor. "I still don't understand what you need me or my companions for."

"The War can be stopped, Doctor. But for that to happen, the universe has to be stopped," said the White Guardian. "Just for one moment."

The Doctor's eyes went wide. "The Key to Time," he realised. "You want me to reassemble it again?"

"Indeed, Doctor," said the White Guardian. "It is the only way we can stop the Black Guardian and the Crystal Guardian from asserting their dominance over the entire universe."

"I still don't understand why you had to test my companions. I have assembled the Key before and I will be successful at it again," said the Doctor.

"The stakes are higher, Doctor, as the ephemerals would say," said the White Guardian. "The Black Guardian and the Crystal Guardian have already started recruiting an army of ephemerals to possess the Key. They will not stop at anything to kill you or your companions. I had to ensure that your companions were capable of handling this."

"I assume that they have all passed your tests?" demanded the Doctor. "Sir," he tagged on since his tone had been far too rude.

"Oh indeed," said the White Guardian with a small smile. "With flying colours, I might add."

The Doctor couldn't help a small, proud smile. "I always take the best," he said.

"Quite," said the White Guardian. He held out a small, transparent rod with red, orange, yellow and white markings at one end. "You will need this."

"Ah yes, the core of the Key to Time," said the Doctor as he took it. "I have almost missed this."

"The first segment of the key has always remained in your TARDIS, Doctor," said the White Guardian. "But the rest have been scattered all over the cosmos. The time is ticking, Time Lord."

"Yes sir," said the Doctor.

"Be careful, Doctor," said the White Guardian as he began to fade away slowly. "Remember, danger will be dogging your footsteps. Beware, Doctor! Beware the Black Guardian and the Crystal Guardian!"

The Doctor sighed and looked back at the core in his hands, and felt a brief sense of nostalgia as he thought of Romana. Those had been simpler times. Just a fix of the universe. Not a War among the Guardians that would cause destruction of the cosmos.

Still, it was a quest that he knew was essential. Plus, it would allow him to show his companions a few different sights. Nodding to himself, he saw his old safe that had conveniently been moved into this chamber. He unlocked it and found the first segment of the Key.

With a smile, he examined it and put it back inside. One down, five to go.

* * *

Rory was hugging Rose and even Amy was patting her shoulder in comfort. She had managed to tell them in hurried tones what her test had been and the fact that the Doctor hadn't turned up, had made them all assume the worst.

"It's okay, Rose," said Rory, too numb to think of anything better to say.

Amy was touched by the fact that Rose hadn't simply chosen to kill her. It would have made the most logical sense. She squeezed her shoulder in comfort and gratitude.

"A group hug without me?" came the Doctor's amused voice and the three of them gasped in unison. He grinned mischievously at them and the next second, all three of them had nearly tackled him with hugs. He laughed as he steadied them. "I assume this means you missed me?" he asked cheekily.

"Shut up," muttered Rose, slapping his chest before burying her head in his neck again.

Rory and Amy were first to break away but Rose stayed longer in his arms, apologising over and over again. "It's alright, Rose," said the Doctor. "You made the right choice. It was a perfectly logical thing to do. Even if I had died, I would have regenerated. Rory and Amy do not have that luxury. So, it made sense."

"But I didn't know if you would be able to regenerate," protested Rose.

"Even if I wasn't able to, I would rather my companions be kept safe," he said. "You did good," he said sincerely, meeting her gaze steadily.

"What were all the dumb tests for anyway?" asked Rory.

The Doctor grinned. "We have been handed our very own quest," he said, excitedly.

"What kind of a quest?" asked Amy with interest.

"The Quest for the Key to Time," said the Doctor.

At his words, the chamber around them seemed to dissipate like bad reception on telly, and they found themselves back into the main console room. "Is that it then?" asked Rory. "The Guardians are gone?"

"Yes, I should think so," said the Doctor as he walked over to the console and began to run diagnostics on it.

"Hang on though," said Rose. "What is the Key to Time?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "It is a very powerful artefact that has the power to stop the universe for just one instant," he said brightly.

"Stop it?" asked Rory in confusion. "Why?"

"So that you can fix whatever is wrong without upsetting the balance," explained Amy, understanding it at once. "That is some powerful artefact."

"Which is why it has been broken up and spread across time and space," said the Doctor.

"How are we going to find it then?" asked Rose.

"With this," said the Doctor, showing them the core. "This is the core of the Key to Time. When all six pieces of the key are connected, this goes right in the middle of it, to complete the structure. And until we do so, the core acts like a detector. It can catch the signal of the hidden key piece and revert it back to the normal form."

"How do we know where the pieces are?" asked Rory. "I mean, you said they were all across time and space."

"Ah," said the Doctor and carefully plugged in the core into the TARDIS console. "Like this."

Amy looked at the screen nearest to hers and gasped. "There are new space-time coordinates here," she said.

"That must be the next destination," said the Doctor. "The second segment."

"The second?" asked Rose. "Where's the first?"

"In the TARDIS," said the Doctor. He rechecked the coordinates and looked at his companions. "So, what do you say? Are you ready to take on the quest?" he asked, his eyes shining.

They exchanged a look. "Not even slightly," laughed Rose as Amy and Rory chuckled.

The Doctor beamed brightly. "Good. Here we go then!"

* * *

**A/N End of story #1. Thanks for reading.**

**So, the Guardians are fighting amongst themselves. According to their own rules, they can't directly participate in the war, meaning each side would recruit its own fighters. It's bound to get interesting.**

**The Six Guardians are: White, Red, Azure, Gold, Black and Crystal. Of them, only White, Black and Crystal Guardians have appeared in the actual TV show. We got the rest from the extended media.**

**The next story is called 'The Space Mystery'. I have tried a very different narrative structure with that and it may or may not be set on the Orient Express. In Space.**

**Part 1 will be up on Tuesday. Until next time then.**

**~ Phoenix**


	5. The Space Mystery: The Orient Express

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing reviews on the first story. We are already close to 100 reviews. Holy Gallifrey, you guys!**

**Anyway, here is the second story 'The Space Mystery'. Initially, I had written this as a part narrative by future Rory but as the story went on, it became really difficult to write it all without mucking everything up. **

**I have changed it to be more uniform but it is still majorly from Rory's perspective. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Space Mystery: The Orient Express**

When Rory thought back to the last few months of his life, he found himself marvelling at how many things had changed. Less than seven months ago, he was a Roman Centurion in 102 A.D. Before that, he had been a nurse back in Leadworth in the early 21st century.

But then, he had met the Doctor. He reckoned it had been at least six months since he had started travelling in the TARDIS, though time was relative as the Doctor often reminded him. Travelling with them was Rose Tyler, who had been with the Doctor even longer than Rory had. She was originally a shop girl from 2005 London but had met the Doctor when a stray Cybermen ship had crashed to Earth.

Rose and Rory had been travelling with the Doctor for a while before they met Captain Amelia Pond on the planet of Calamity amidst the universe collapsing. The peculiar circumstances that followed were still slightly jarring on his nerves. Long story short, Amelia or Amy as she preferred, joined them in their travels.

And then they were accosted by the Guardians. A war was raging between the Guardians, and the White Guardian had recruited the Doctor and his three companions to assemble the Key to Time, an artefact that could prevent the war of the Eternals from destroying the universe.

The key had six segments and the first one was already in the TARDIS where it had been kept safe by the Doctor. It was the search of the second segment that took them to the planet of Snowdell in the Isop galaxy. Not just aboard the planet...but right outside a train station.

A train station that had trains that travelled into space...

* * *

"No way," said Rose, her eyes wide. "Trains that travel into space?"

"Marvellous, isn't it?" asked the Doctor, his eyes sparkling.

"How does it work?" Rory asked at once.

"The technology is developed such that the craft looks and feels like a train, both inside and out," said the Doctor. "The train that they modelled this one after is from Earth. The 1940s to be precise."

"Why?" asked Amy.

"Preservation of your culture? Rich humans spending an outrageous amount of money? Take your pick," said the Doctor. "And we have exclusive access," he added, flashing them four tickets, printed on thick gold paper.

"Those look expensive," Rory observed.

"They are," said the Doctor with a quick smile. "The signal seemed to lead towards the luggage car of the first class. I thought we could use the proper channels just this once. See how it feels," he winked. "It has to be a change from accidental landings which gets us into so much trouble."

"Well, if we are pretending to be people who travel in first class on a regular basis, we have to dress better than this," said Rose, with a pointed look at their clothes.

"1940s," reminded the Doctor as she and Amy left to go towards the wardrobe room.

"Aye, aye," waved Amy.

"So, how are you sure that the segment is on this train?" asked Rory.

"When the TARDIS brought us here, I went out to have a quick look. The signal was strong. It is definitely in the luggage car," explained the Doctor.

"Rich people with a hoard of luggage," whistled Rory. "It's going to be like finding a needle in the haystack. How long is the journey?"

"37 hours," answered the Doctor. "The train goes from the planet to its fifteenth and farthest moon called Applepond."

"Applepond?" asked Rory, trying not to laugh.

The Doctor grinned at him. "Intriguing name, isn't it? I wonder what Amy will think of it," he wondered. He shook his head. "Besides, that isn't really the exciting part."

"It isn't?" asked Rory in surprise.

"No," said the Doctor. "It's the name of the train." At Rory's questioning look, the Doctor showed him the tickets.

Rory gasped as he read them. "No way," he said. "The Orient Express."

"In space!" added the Doctor enthusiastically.

* * *

Looking back, Rory thought he should have been feeling a sense of dread rather than the excitement. Ah, who was he kidding? Of course he was excited. So was Rose when he told her and surprisingly, Amy. Rory had known that Rose was an avid Christie fan but Amy came as a bit of a shock. Of course then the Doctor got to tell them all how Agatha Christie's books were still in circulation past the 73rd century. They were suitably impressed by it.

They had their luggage packed and were dressed as per the 40s fashion. Rory rather fancied himself as a young Elliot Ness, dressed as he was in the expensive suit. Amy and Rose were completely gorgeous as usual in their posh and expensive gowns and frocks. The Doctor, on the other hand, was wearing his usual grey breeches, white wing-collared shirt with a grey vest and cravat and his green frockcoat completing his look. Even after Rose badgered him to dress a little less old-fashioned, he shook his head claiming that his clothes never went out of fashion. Considering what he wore in his fifth and sixth lives, Rory thought that statement was not even a little bit true.

The train itself was a classic. Had it not been for a variety of advanced tech, it would have been easy to believe that they were on Earth, back in time. They had two compartments side by side, each with two twin beds. While the interior was supposed to look like the one back in the 40s, the beds and linen were obviously futuristic. Yet instead of ruining the authenticity, it just added to its charm.

The Doctor tried to suggest that Rose and Amy ought to bunk together while he and Rory did the same. Rory was set to agree when Amy said that she would rather share with him. Rory tried to tamp down his eagerness at the idea, knowing that she was probably going with the assumption that the Doctor and Rose were a couple.

So, it was finally decided that Amy and Rory would share one compartment while the Doctor and Rose had the one next to theirs. Their luggage was stowed away in the luggage car but the porters were still there meaning they couldn't exactly search for the segment right then.

Instead, they decided to go down to the dining car, just as the train was about to begin its journey. The first class had a separate dining car that could only be accessed by first class passengers. It had deep red carpets and polished furniture that would be the dream of any interior decoration enthusiast.

In the dining car, they were greeted by the train's conductor named Carter Dunlop. He was a bloke around Rory's age, with a slightly sullen face. He spoke in short, clipped sentences, giving the overall impression of someone who hated his job but was unable to leave it.

Apart from Carter, there was a host of staff (both servers and entertainers). Even a few of the guests were there. Everyone's eye first caught on Janelle Lombardi, not because she was beautiful, but because she was kissing a man much older than her. Janelle who looked all of 19, was with a man whom they would have thought was at least 42. Upon seeing them, he introduced himself Kramer Pollock and he and Janelle were engaged to be married. It was later revealed that Kramer was a penniless artist while Janelle was a rich heiress to a computer empire on Snowdell.

The other guest sitting by himself introduced himself as Faber Bonasera, an attorney. He kept fiddling with his wedding ring constantly and when Rose tried to get him talking, he confessed quietly that his wife had just passed away and he was taking a break from his life in Snowdell.

While they were getting acquainted, two more of the guests arrived. The older woman, dressed in a severe yet fashionable manner, was Valerie Richmond and with her was her granddaughter Keira Richmond. The Richmond family owned the planet's major supply of minerals and Valerie was the ruling matriarch. She was 87 years old but didn't look a day over 58. Amy whispered in Rory's ear that Valerie appeared to have had at least 43 surgical procedures.

Keira Richmond was gorgeous. She had dark hair and soulful brown eyes unlike her grandmother's blonde hair and harsh blue eyes. She was soft spoken and well-dressed and any male would be lying if they said that they were not attracted to her. Even Rory seemed a bit dazed when he saw her. She seemed to have her eyes set on the Doctor though, which did not earn her any points from Rose.

The Doctor was cheerfully oblivious to all of her flirtations, a fact which Amy found very amusing to watch. But she did notice very quickly the way his face darkened when the last guest arrived and took interest in Rose. Tristan Greenfield was about the Doctor's age (well, physically at least) and was an actual doctor. He was moving to Applepond to set up a quiet practice after a life on the main planet. Dr. Greenfield was handsome, charming, and soon had Rose, Keira, Amy and even Janelle interested in his stories.

Carter, the train conductor, then let them know that these were all the people travelling in the first class and would be fellow passengers for the 37 hour journey that it was to Applepond. The train set off and despite knowing that they had a job to do, the time travellers were very excited at being aboard the Orient Express. In space.

* * *

"This is amazing," said Rose in an awed voice as she and the Doctor sat at a booth in the dining car. "Really feel like we're on Earth, back in time."

The Doctor grinned at her across the table. "The humans on Snowdell are sticklers for details," he said. "They are evolved, yet revellers of the worst kind."

Rose tilted her head in confusion at that. "What do you mean?" she asked.

The Doctor leaned closer to her, beckoning her to do the same. "See Miss Lombardi? She's younger than you and is the sole heiress to a fortune worth a few planets. She was orphaned at the age of 7 and has been raised by a series of tutors and nannies."

Rose glanced at the blonde and then back at the Doctor. "You don't think she should be engaged to Mr. Pollock?" she asked in a low voice.

"I don't quite trust him," he said shortly. "A girl like Janelle is young and vulnerable while a man like Pollock is after money and prestige."

Rose nodded along to that. "What else?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed. "Poor Faber Bonasera is distraught, as you saw when you spoke to him. Losing someone you love is difficult. Yet, did you notice something odd about him?"

Rose met his eyes and nodded slowly. "He seems...almost guilty," she said.

The Doctor nodded along. "Yes, but that is to be expected. A loss of the kind that he has suffered often invokes guilt. But somehow it's deeper than that." Rose looked questioningly at him but he just shook his head. "Your turn. What have you observed about our fellow passengers?"

"Keira Richmond fancies you," she said, trying to sound nonchalant about it and not as disgruntled as she was feeling.

The Doctor's lips quirked into a smile. "Yes, it seems so, doesn't it?" he asked and Rose shrugged in response. "The flirting was almost overdone."

"Didn't think you'd noticed," said Rose, examining her nails instead of looking at him.

"Oh, it's our job to notice, Rose Tyler," said the Doctor in the same slightly amused voice. "But what I meant was her flirting was deliberate. Too methodical to be genuine."

Rose finally looked up at that. "You think she was faking it? Why would she do that?" she asked, genuinely curious.

The Doctor shrugged. "She must have her reasons, I suppose," he said. "Her grandmother is an interesting woman, though."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Don't like her all that much. She reminds me of Lady Beatrice. Remember how awful she was?"

"Ah yes, Lady Beatrice," nodded the Doctor. "Yes, they are extraordinarily alike. For some reason, I thought she was rather like Queen Mary but Lady Beatrice sounds more accurate."

"You've met Queen Mary? Bloody Mary?" asked Rose, her lips curled in amusement.

"In my sixth life, yes," he nodded. "An odd encounter that one."

Rose had more questions but she brought herself back to the present. "So, who did we miss? Carter seems to hate his job," she said.

"Don't quite blame him," said the Doctor. "Catering to the needs of the rich and demanding cannot be an easy task. And we missed your friend, Dr. Greenfield."

"He isn't that bad," Rose defended when the Doctor's tone hardened at his name. "His stories were brilliant. Did you hear the one where he found an alarm clock in his patient's stomach?" asked Rose mirthfully.

"Yes, I heard," said the Doctor shortly. "Yet like Pollock, I can't seem to trust him." Rose raised her eyebrows at that but the Doctor continued on. "The very first thing he did upon introducing himself was launch into his stories. Now, I can understand liking the sound of your own voice, I have been guilty of it myself. But the pace at which he was talking was almost like he was attempting to distract everyone from something else. I find that highly suspicious."

Rose wanted to point out that maybe the Doctor was just being a bit jealous but realised that he had a point. Dr. Greenfield did seem hell bent on keeping in control of the conversation around him. Rose cleared her throat. "So basically, all our fellow passengers have their own secrets," she surmised. "Think this is really like the real Orient Express that Christie wrote about?" she asked cheekily.

The Doctor grinned widely as he met her eyes. "Well, Miss Tyler, you never know," he said enigmatically, his eyes shining.

Rose laughed and shook her head. "You are impossible sometimes," she said. Then her smile dimmed and she lowered her voice. "What about the task for the Guardians? How do we find the second segment?" she asked. "Someone's bound to be around the luggage car."

The Doctor's demeanour remained unchanged. "Well, we shall be served supper soon and then, we'll go to bed. As soon as everyone is asleep, we can go strolling around with the core to the Key to Time to search for the second segment. Hopefully, we shall find it before the train gets to Applepond."

Rose nodded, admiring his optimism even as she felt all her instincts screaming that it wouldn't be so easy. "Hope so," she agreed with a small smile.

The Doctor returned her smile and raised his glass of lime and soda to her in acknowledgement. "Here's to a smooth journey," he said. Rose clinked his glass with her own and they both took a sip of their drink simultaneously.

Unbeknownst to them, an ominous peal of laughter rang across the cosmos. The first of the Black Guardian's recruits was already on the Orient Express...and the Doctor and his companions had no idea...

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading.**

**I suppose the purpose of this was to set the scene and introduce all the characters. There will be more about them as the story goes on.**

**I also have Face Claims for the characters which you guys can see if you wish to. **

**Janelle Lombardi-Hayden Panetierre; Kramer Pollock-Sam Worthington; Faber Bonasera-Alexander Armstrong; Valerie Richmond-Jane Fonda; Keira Richmond-Eliza Dushku; Dr. Tristan Greenfield-Richard Armitage; Carter Dunlop-John Mayer**

**The next part will be up on Friday. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	6. The Space Mystery: A Murder

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for all your love on the first part of the second adventure. We crossed 100 reviews for this story.**

**Here is Part 2 of 'The Space Mystery' and I am sure that the title has already given away what's about to happen. But I assume everyone saw that coming. A murder on the Orient Express. How was I supposed to resist?**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Space Mystery: A Murder**

Suppertime rolled around. The Doctor beckoned his companions closer and quickly whispered his plan. They were all quite impressed by his idea. The Doctor had suggested that they would cover more ground if the four of them split up and sat with different people during supper. It made sense; they would be able to know which one of them was carrying something valuable that might be disguised as a segment of the Key to Time.

The Doctor had already scanned the dining room but the core remained silent, pointing back towards the luggage car. So, the Doctor joined Keira and her grandmother, Amy sat with Faber, Rory joined Janelle and Kramer Pollock and Rose joined Dr. Greenfield.

Janelle and Kramer were like a typical couple in love. Well, Janelle was. All she could talk about was their upcoming wedding. Apparently their trip to Applepond was to narrow down the venues for their prestigious high society wedding. Kramer was quiet throughout supper, interjecting occasionally to calm Janelle down when she got too excited about the wedding planning. His silence was suspicious but Janelle really didn't give him much of a chance to speak. Or Rory, for that matter.

On his right, Rory could hear Amy trying to talk to Faber. Faber was drinking heavily, and despite Amy's charming manner, he wasn't opening up much. He had hardly touched his food and Amy was steadily getting frustrated at the lack of info.

The Doctor was seated with Keira and Valerie Richmond at a table opposite Rory and from what he could tell, Keira was still flirting heavily with the Doctor. The Doctor was either oblivious or completely ignoring her. He made polite conversation about the political structure on Snowdell and it was surprising to see that Valerie was gradually losing her unpleasant attitude and was even smiling at the Doctor. Later when Rory asked him, he said that he knew someone very similar to her once. Then he and Rose exchanged their usual enigmatic smiles and Rory didn't ask further.

Rose was sitting with Dr. Greenfield and they were too far away from Rory to listen in to their conversation. But Tristan looked like he was telling one of the stories from his surgery room again and Rose was a wonderful audience, smiling and gasping at the right moments. A few times, Rory saw the Doctor tense and he guessed he could hear their conversation quite well. Maybe it was just Rory's imagination but Rose did not seem as interested in Dr. Greenfield as she had been when they had first met.

The supper was over and the only usable information that Rory had been able to learn from Janelle was the kind of caterer he should hire if he ever got married anywhere near Snowdell. All Amy knew that Hypervodka made Faber more and more gloomy. The Doctor had better luck when Valerie mentioned that she was carrying some of her old jewellery and jewels to be resized from the Richmond family jeweller on Applepond. Rose just shook her head when asked what she had learned from Dr. Greenfield. All that she had learned was that the man could talk for even longer than the Doctor.

In keeping up with the ruse, they bid everyone goodnight and retired to their respective compartments. The Doctor whispered to them that he would wake them up when he was sure that everyone else had gone to bed and then they would go exploring.

When Amy and Rory got to their compartment, Amy quickly closed the door. "What exactly are you doing?" Rory asked Amy as she picked up a glass and threw the water out of it.

She winked at him and placed the glass against the compartment's wall. "Eavesdropping," she said, utterly unashamed.

"On the Doctor and Rose?" asked Rory, strangely unbothered. "Why?"

"Oh come on, don't even pretend you aren't curious," she said. "We saw those two talking before supper. I just want to know what theories the Doctor has."

Rory stared at her for a moment before shrugging and joining her. The two pressed their ears to the glass and the sound was surprisingly clear through the thin walls that divided the compartments.

"...so you think it's one of Valerie's jewellery pieces?" Rose could be heard asking.

"It makes sense. The last time I assembled the Key to Time, one of the segments was disguised as a lump of Jethrik," said the Doctor.

"Jethrik? Is that the blue mineral that's very valuable?"

"You remembered! Yes, the very same."

There was a silence for a while and Amy and Rory exchanged a look, wondering if they had gone to sleep. But then Rose spoke in a low, hesitant voice.

"Do you think the Time Lords know that you are doing this again?"

There was a pause and they heard the Doctor sigh. "I should think so," he said. "I am surprised I haven't received a message from Romana about it."

"Do they remember what happened...before?" Amy and Rory could guess easily what she meant and were curious to know as well. In the hurry that everything that had happened, they had never quite discovered what the universe nearly ending had done to the other Time Lords. The Doctor had only said that the balance was restored and that the Time Lords and Gallifrey were back where they were supposed to be.

"It is not very likely that they do," he admitted slowly. He sounded very hesitant to answer and they had to wonder if there was some part of the story that he had left unsaid. "It is probably like a faint memory. Of a timeline that did not happen. Like a dream you can't quite remember in the morning."

"They're not gonna want to question me or something, are they?" Rose's tone was light but Rory could tell that she was genuinely terrified of the prospect.

"I won't let them." The Doctor's voice was quick, firm and stern. "You saved their lives and if they dare to think that I'm going to let them harm you, then I will be sure to remind them of a few facts myself."

Rory took away the glass, ignoring Amy's questioning look. This was too private. The Doctor had sounded fiercely passionate when he had said that. Rory did not doubt that the Doctor would hesitate even briefly to defend Rose, even against his own people.

But that admission was too heartfelt to be listened in on by them. Amy looked a bit disappointed but settled for reaching into her purse and pulling out a bottle. "Hypervodka?" she offered.

Rory raised an eyebrow before taking the bottle in his hand. The clear liquid in the bottle resembled regular vodka he remembered from Earth. At Amy's encouraging look, he took a cautious sip and spit it straight back out, coughing violently as he did.

Amy laughed as she took the bottle from him and took a long swig. To his growing embarrassment, she had no trouble keeping it down. "Don't worry," she said, when Rory turned red. "You get used to the kick after a while."

Rory sincerely doubted it but he did take the second sip. Now that he was expecting the strength of the alcohol, he did not spit it out nor did he break out into a coughing fit like before. He still had to clear his throat a few times after he swallowed the drink though.

There came a knock at their compartment door and he and Amy looked up in surprise. "Think the Doctor knew we were drinking?" Amy asked him in a whisper.

Rory handed her the bottle back and saw her slip it back into her purse. Taking a deep breath, and trying to ignore the slight buzzing in his head, he opened the door. It wasn't the Doctor, nor was it Rose. It was Faber Bonasera.

"Mr. Bonasera?" Rory looked surprised. "Is everything okay?"

Faber looked even more distraught than before. "You have to help me," he said in a hoarse voice. "Please. You have to help me." His body slumped as he grabbed Rory's arms in desperation, his eyes wide with terror.

"Amy, help," said Rory frantically as he tried to stop Faber from going into shock. Amy came up from behind him and helped him get Faber back on his feet. "Call the Doctor," Rory told her as they manoeuvred Faber into a sitting position on one of the beds in their compartment. He was rocking back and forth and the terrified look on his face unnerving.

Amy exchanged a look with Rory before going next door and knocking loudly. "Doctor? Rose?" she called.

"Amy, what's wrong?" the Doctor asked, opening the door at once. His coat and cravat were off and he appeared to be in the middle of unbuttoning his vest.

Amy hastily looked away from his quite smashing physique and focused on the matter at hand. "It's Faber. He's having some sort of a breakdown," she said quickly.

The Doctor's brow furrowed as he followed Amy to their compartment. Amy noticed Rose hurrying after them, the Doctor's coat slung over her arm. Before they could enter their compartment though, Faber burst out of there and ran down the hallway.

"Faber! Mr. Bonasera! Come back!" Rory yelled after him.

"Rory, what happened?" the Doctor asked as Rose helped him back into his coat.

"He just took off," said Rory, bewildered by the whole business. "I was trying to get him to talk but nothing he said was making sense."

The Doctor hurried after Faber, his companions right behind him. Faber had gone into his own compartment and shut the door. "Faber?" the Doctor tried gently.

There was no answer from the other end. The Doctor tried the door handle but it was locked.

"Faber," Rory called. "Just open the door. We are here to help."

They waited for an answer but there was none. "Use the sonic screwdriver," Rose suggested.

Before the Doctor could reach for it, Carter appeared in the corridor from the dining car. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Mr. Bonasera is not answering. He seemed to be having some sort of a mental breakdown," Amy said at once.

Carter looked a bit thrown off by the abrupt answer but knocked on Faber's door. "Mr. Bonasera? Sir? Is everything alright?" When there was no answer, he reached into his pocket to pull out a small gold card that had the words 'MASTER KEY' in black bolded letters on it.

He swiped it across the lock and the locked beeped open. Carter opened the door cautiously, calling for Faber as he went. It was dark in the compartment and Rose, who was the closest to the light switch, flicked it on.

As light flooded the compartment, they saw Faber Bonasera lying on the bed with his throat slashed from ear to ear. Rose clapped her hands to her mouth to muffle her scream, Amy gasped loudly but it was Carter who yelled loudly, shaking in terror as he took in the gory sight.

"Rory, get him to calm down," said the Doctor, his jaw clenched grimly as he gazed at Faber's corpse. Rory, who had been staring in horror at the macabre scene, shook himself and led Carter out of the compartment.

"What in the hell happened here?" asked Amy, wincing at how hoarse she sounded.

"I don't know," said the Doctor, through clenched teeth.

"What is that?" Rose asked, pointing to the other bed in the compartment. It had a red fabric of some sort thrown on it.

The Doctor walked towards it and lifted it up slowly. "It's a kimono," he said, sounding taken aback. "A woman's red kimono." He noticed Amy and Rose looking incredulous but he walked towards the body and observed it quickly. "Amy, Rose," he said, his voice sharp and focused. "Return to the dining room and get Carter to gather all of the first class passengers in there."

"What? Why?" asked Amy.

The Doctor reached into his pocket to pull out the psychic paper. "Tell them Inspector Smith from Applepond is in charge of investigating this poor man's death," he said, without taking his eyes off Faber. "And I want to question everybody."

"You sure we can't help here?" Rose asked.

"Rory will be more helpful here," said the Doctor. "I need you two to observe all the passengers discreetly. Rose, you are good with people and Amy, you are used to questioning people. Just watch them and see if any of them seem guilty."

Amy and Rose nodded and left quickly. Rory re-entered the compartment when the girls took Carter away with them to gather the rest of the passengers. The horrific sight made him wince quietly. The Doctor beckoned him in. "What do you think?" he asked.

It was pretty obvious to Rory. The single stroke of the blade had severed Faber's carotid artery and he had bled out very quickly. The blood staining the white sheets indicated that he had been lying down when he was killed. Everything else in the compartment was undisturbed. In fact, the only oddity was the red kimono on the other bed.

Faber had been travelling alone and considering the state he was in after his wife's death, Rory found it hard to believe that he would be with another woman. The Doctor seemed to agree with him on that, at least.

"How did they escape?" he asked when the Doctor had been quiet for a long moment after Rory's assessments. "We were right behind Faber. D-Do you think it was suicide?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not possible," he said.

"Why not?" asked Rory. "He looked pretty awful when he burst in on me and Amy. Plus, you saw how much he was drinking during supper. That stuff is _potent._ Believe me, I would know," he said, thinking of the drink that he had sampled briefly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at the last part but then seemed to realise that there were bigger matters at hand. "It can't have been suicide," he said. "I am certain of it."

"What makes you so sure?" Rory persisted.

"If he did kill himself, where is the weapon he used to do it, hmm?" asked the Doctor, with an air of slight superiority.

Rory's brow furrowed. The Doctor was right; there was no sign of weapon. There was no blood on anything else that might indicate that it had been used to kill Faber. Rory weakly suggested that Faber might have thrown it out of the window, only to have the Doctor smile at him in amusement.

It only took Rory a moment to remember that they were in space and the ensuing embarrassment made him blush redder than the Doctor had ever seen him. He hastily changed the subject and suggested that the murderer might be still carrying it on their person. The Doctor's response was to point out that a murderer that escapes from a locked compartment is hardly likely to still carry the weapon.

"Well, what then?" Rory asked, slightly frustrated. "What do you think happened?"

The Doctor stared at him thoughtfully. "Mr. Bonasera comes to your compartment, passing all of the compartments on the way. He knocks and asks for your help. But before you can do that, he runs back and locks himself into his own compartment. We are right behind him and when we get the door open, we find him dead." He stroked his chin as he paced around the compartment. "The most logical explanation was that the murderer was waiting for him in his compartment."

"But how did they escape then?" asked Rory persistently.

"I am not sure yet, though I do have some ideas," said the Doctor. "We should see what Amy and Rose have deduced. Come along, Rory."

* * *

When Rose and Amy got to the dining car, they found Kramer still sitting at the same table that he, Janelle and Rory had eaten supper at. He was sipping a glass of whiskey, looking slightly melancholic.

"Evening ladies," he greeted politely when he saw them enter. "Good to see I'm not the only one burning the midnight oil." Then he caught sight of their grim expressions and raised his eyebrows. "Is everything alright?"

"There's been a murder," said Rose quietly.

Kramer's eyes widened as he stood up at once. "Who?" he demanded.

"Mr. Bonasera," said Amy. "Carter is waking the rest of the passengers."

"I must go to Janelle," said Kramer but Amy blocked his way.

"You are all to stay here until the Doctor can question everyone," she said firmly.

"And just who is the Doctor to do that?" Dr. Greenfield asked as he entered the dining car. He was wearing an expensive-looking silk dressing gown and a grumpy expression on his face.

"Inspector Smith from Applepond," said Rose, her initial fondness for the man starting to evaporate. "He's a galaxy-wide famous detective."

"How have I never heard of him then?" asked Dr. Greenfield, with a slight sneer.

"That's not our problem now, is it?" asked Amy, her tone final.

Dr. Greenfield scowled but said nothing. Janelle and Keira entered together, both of them still in their dinner clothes. "Carter said that Mr. Bonasera is dead. Is it true?" Keira asked.

"Yes," answered Amy. "Where's your grandmother?"

"She's just putting away something in the luggage car," said Keira. "She will be along shortly."

Janelle gave a sob and ran into Kramer's arms, who held her close and tried to shush her. Her sobs turned into wails and everyone looked uncomfortable at the scene. Valerie Richmond emerged into the dining car, dressed in a silk robe and wearing a glower that could have set any number of children crying.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "Why are we being held here?"

"I can answer that," said the Doctor as he and Rory came into the dining car. "A man was murdered, just mere minutes ago. As of now, you are all suspects."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what do you think? Who is the murderer? And how did they escape?**

**The next part will see 'Inspector Smith' and his associates examining the evidence and questioning suspects. Bound to be fun.**

**It will be up on Tuesday. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	7. The Space Mystery: The Investigation

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry for the late chapter. Things have been very hectic lately.**

**Here is Part 3 of the story 'The Space Mystery'. Not a lot of Amy and Rory in this chapter but that's because it's focused more on the OCs. Hope you enjoy it all the same.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Space Mystery: The Investigation **

_Previously_

_Valerie Richmond emerged into the dining car, dressed in a silk robe and wearing a glower that could have set any number of children crying._

_"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "Why are we being held here?"_

_"I can answer that," said the Doctor as he and Rory came into the dining car. "A man was murdered, just mere minutes ago. As of now, you are all suspects."_

Carter had led the Doctor to an empty compartment in the first class which would be used as an interrogation room. The Doctor had Rose with him while he interviewed the different people. Rory was tasked with guarding the scene of the crime and as a precaution, had Amy's sonic blaster tucked into his suit jacket. Better safe than sorry, in case the murderer returned.

Amy was keeping an eye on everyone in the dining room. The Doctor had told her to report any odd behaviour among the passengers, especially after they had been interviewed.

The first one to be interviewed was Kramer Pollock. He nodded at the Doctor and Rose as he entered the compartment and took a seat. "Before you ask me anything, I just want to say that I should be allowed a counsel," he said.

"As long as you have nothing to hide, you won't need counsel," said the Doctor with a slight smile. "Now, where were you during the time the crime was committed?"

"I was in the dining car," said Kramer, without a hint of nervousness. "I had stayed there the whole time following supper."

"Can anyone verify that?" Rose asked.

"Yes," said Kramer, sounding a tad smug. "The server who was bringing me drinks."

Rose pursed her lips and looked at the Doctor. The Doctor kept his eyes on Kramer and reclined back in his seat. "Why are you marrying Janelle, Kramer?" he asked bluntly.

Kramer glared at the Doctor. "I don't see how it is any of your business," he snarled.

The Doctor didn't respond, nor did he ask anything further on the matter. "Did you know Faber Bonasera before you met him today?" he asked instead.

Kramer looked taken aback at the abrupt change in the topic but collected himself. "No," he answered.

The Doctor watched him steadily. "Very well, do you recognise this?" he asked, showing him the red kimono.

Kramer's eyes widened just a fraction before his expression went neutral. "No, I do not," he said.

"Thank you," said the Doctor with a wide smile. "You may leave."

Kramer looked a bit suspicious but got up and left quickly. As soon as the door had closed behind him, the Doctor turned to Rose. "Well?" he asked.

"He was lying when he said that he didn't know the kimono," said Rose at once. "Wasn't he?"

"Very good, Rose," nodded the Doctor. "I rather suspect that it belongs to Janelle Lombardi."

"What was Janelle doing in Faber's compartment?" asked Rose, confused.

"Let's ask her when the time comes," said the Doctor. "It's Keira Richmond's turn next."

* * *

Amy was quietly observing the people in the compartment. Valerie Richmond was still ranting about various lawsuits she was going to file against the Law Enforcement Officials on Applepond. She was not exactly being quiet and poor Keira Richmond had the job of trying to calm her grandmother.

Amy pitied the girl a bit. Valerie was worse than a child throwing a tantrum and no matter how much Keira tried, she would not stop. Amy briefly considered bounding and gagging Valerie to a chair but she was here as an observer only, as the Doctor had told her.

She had tried to swap jobs with Rory; she would prefer standing guard over dealing with rich snobs any day. But Rory had shaken his head with a smile that screamed 'not a chance'. He had even less patience than her when it came to dealing with people like these. Sometimes she wondered how he was a nurse if he couldn't stand difficult people.

Dr. Greenfield was smoking his cigars at an alarming rate, making Amy cringe a little. Those cigars needed to be savoured and smoked leisurely, not burnt through like common cigarettes. He wasn't talking to anyone now, just staring off into space.

"Hello," Janelle said as she walked up to Amy.

"Hi," said Amy shortly. She had heard from Rory that the girl was fond of talking too much about her wedding, which meant that it automatically put her on Amy's list of people to stay away from.

"So, how long will Kramer be?" she asked.

"He'll be back once he answers the Doctor's questions," said Amy.

"Do you think Kramer killed Mr. Bonasera?" Janelle asked.

Amy stared at her. She had been hysterical before but now she just sounded fascinated. "I-I don't know," said Amy, still a bit wary of the sudden mood change in Janelle.

"I think this is so much _fun_," said Janelle, in a low yet excited voice. "This is just like one of Agatha Christie's mysteries."

Amy nodded uncertainly, wondering if there was something wrong with that girl. She was fortunately spared from answering when Kramer burst into the dining car. "Jan!" he called and beckoned her imperiously.

Janelle flitted over to his side at once and he led her to a quiet corner. Amy watched them carefully, noting that Kramer was saying something rapidly to Janelle who was shaking her head repeatedly. Finally, Kramer gave up and barked at one of the servers to get him a fresh drink. Janelle looked miserable and Amy felt a little sorry for the girl, despite everything.

Being so absorbed in observing Kramer and Janelle, Amy had missed Keira leaving for her interview with the Doctor and Rose. There was no one to monitor Valerie who was still naming every lawyer she was going to contact as soon as the train got to Applepond.

Amy took a deep breath and started reciting the most lewd versions of Christmas Carols under her breath. Her mum used to berate her for it but Amy and her dad always found them hilarious. It passed the time nicely, in any case and stopped Amy from wanting to throttle someone.

* * *

"Ms. Richmond, can you account for your whereabouts during the time of the murder?" the Doctor asked.

"I was with Janelle in her compartment. After supper, she asked me to join her for a glass of wine and some gossip," said Keira coolly.

"You know her then?" Rose asked.

Keira nodded slowly. "Yes, I have known her since we were children," she answered. "When her parents died, I was only 13."

"What do you think of Kramer, Keira?" asked the Doctor.

Keira's nostrils flared. "Janelle loves him," she answered carefully.

"That's not what I asked," said the Doctor, giving her a slightly penetrating look.

Keira looked unsettled for a moment before huffing. "Fine!" she said. "If you must know, Kramer and I dated for a long time. I introduced him to Janelle."

"He left you for her?" Rose asked, her eyes wide. "That couldn't have been easy."

"No, it wasn't," said Keira, glaring at both of them. "What does this have to do with the murder?"

"Did you know Mr. Bonasera?" asked the Doctor.

"No," said Keira. "I mean, I had heard of him. He is a very famous lawyer. Was," she corrected with a frown. "He took on almost impossible cases and had an impeccable win record."

"Thank you, Ms. Richmond," said the Doctor graciously. Keira nodded and stood up. As she turned to go, the Doctor drew out his sonic screwdriver. "Think fast!" he yelled and threw it at Keira. She snapped around and caught the sonic screwdriver in her right hand. The Doctor smiled widely at her. "Wonderful," he said. "May I have it back?" Keira gave him the screwdriver back, staring at him like he was mad. So was Rose, for that matter. The Doctor grinned, unashamed. "I apologise for my moment of whimsy," he said smoothly.

Keira shot him a look and left. Rose waited until the doors closed to look questioningly at him. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Not important," said the Doctor cheerfully. "So, tell me what you thought."

"She wasn't flirting with you anymore," said Rose.

"Correct," said the Doctor. "She was only doing that around Kramer Pollock."

"She wanted to make him jealous," said Rose. "I guess that makes sense."

"Only to you lot, it does," said the Doctor, shaking his head. "I will never understand you humans."

Rose rolled her eyes but didn't dignify that with a response. "Who's next?"

"Janelle," answered the Doctor. "This should be interesting."

* * *

Rory was bored out of his mind and beginning to regret not taking Amy up on her offer to swap jobs. At least she was around people instead of standing alone in a corridor outside a dead man's compartment. With the dead man still inside it.

He leaned against the closed door and banged his head on it a few times. His mind ran through the different suspects but he had no idea who could be responsible. Who could escape locked doors and get past them unseen and unheard?

He had flippantly suggested to the Doctor that maybe the murderer had used a teleport to escape and the Doctor had given him a look that made Rory feel like he had just dribbled on his shirt. Then, the Doctor had launched into the history of the entire galaxy, talking about how there had been no teleports in this star system or the next for at least another century.

He sighed and let his gaze drop to the ground. He saw some sort of grey ash on the floor outside the compartment and his brow furrowed. He bent down and examined it. He was half tempted to sniff it but he couldn't be sure that it wasn't something poisonous.

He reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. Using it, he carefully scooped up a pinch of the grey ash. The Doctor would know what it was, he realised and pocketed it. He just had to wait until he was no longer needed to guard Faber's body.

That time couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

"...and we are even on a train called 'The Orient Express'. I mean, it is so amazing. It's such a coincidence..." Even the normally patient Doctor looked at the end of his tether as Janelle rambled on and on.

"Janelle," Rose interrupted, feeling the beginning of a headache. She had spent the evening being rambled at by Dr. Greenfield and now Janelle seemed to be channelling him in full force. Not to mention the Doctor had been running his gob as usual. It was a wonder Rose hadn't gone deaf. "Can you answer the question?"

"Sorry, what was it that you asked?" asked Janelle sheepishly.

"Was Keira with you?" repeated the Doctor.

"Oh, oh yes," Janelle nodded. "We left the dining car together and went to my compartment. We had some wine and caught up on girl talk."

"Did you know Mr. Bonasera?" asked Rose.

"No," said Janelle. "But I was told that he was very famous on Snowdell."

"Do you recognise this, Ms. Lombardi?" asked the Doctor, holding up the kimono.

"That's my kimono from the 3940 Geraldi Nippon Revival collection," exclaimed Janelle. "How did you get that?"

"It's yours?" asked Rose.

"Yes. It's one of a kind," said Janelle. "It was in my luggage. How did you get it?"

"Your luggage? Meaning in the luggage car?" asked the Doctor.

"Of course," said Janelle. "My overnight bag was full so I had to put it in my bigger bags."

"We found it next to Faber's body," said Rose.

Janelle stared at her before giving a loud wail and bursting into noisy tears. Exchanging a shocked look with the Doctor, Rose moved to comfort her. "Oh no," Janelle sobbed. "That is horrible." Rose patted her arm awkwardly as she sobbed loudly. "Kramer was telling the truth then. He accused me of having an affair with Mr. Bonasera."

"And were you?" asked the Doctor. "Having an affair, I mean."

Rose shot him a look but Janelle shook her head. "Of course not," she said at once. "I love Kramer. We are soul mates. I would never cheat on him."

"Doesn't it bother you that you are friends with Keira who is Kramer's ex?" asked Rose.

"Keira and Kramer have been over a long time ago," said Janelle, quite calm now. "Kramer told me he doesn't love her like he loves me and Keira is over him."

"Thanks for answering our questions, Ms. Lombardi," said the Doctor. "You are free to go."

Janelle stood up and beamed at him. "Thank you," she said and flounced off.

"Is it me, or does she seem to have really wild mood swings?" asked Rose, once she had gone.

"I was hoping you noticed it," said the Doctor. "It's curious, isn't it?"

"Curious, weird, same thing," muttered Rose. "How many more to go?"

"Just Valerie and Dr. Greenfield to go," said the Doctor.

"Why not Carter?" asked Rose.

"He was with us the whole time," said the Doctor. "Besides, the poor lad is innocent."

Rose stared at the Doctor. "You know who killed Faber, don't you?" she asked, shrewdly.

The Doctor's lips lifted into a smile. "I haven't questioned everyone yet," he said.

Rose shook her head. "But you still know, don't you?" she persisted.

The Doctor tapped her nose playfully. "Just between you and me," he said. "I have a very good idea. But I need to make sure of some facts first."

"Come on," said Rose, nudging his shoulder with her own. "Give us a clue."

"Patience, my Rose," he said, shaking his head and smiling benignly at her.

A throat cleared and the Doctor and Rose turned away from each other to see Dr. Greenfield in the doorway. "I hope I am not intruding," he said sarcastically.

"Dr. Greenfield, have a seat," said the Doctor, slightly coolly. "Could you please tell us where you were when the murder occurred?"

"I was in my compartment, getting ready for bed," he answered shortly. "And before you ask, I was alone."

"Did you know Mr. Bonasera before today?" the Doctor asked.

"No, why should I?" asked Dr. Greenfield.

The Doctor reached into his coat and pulled out a bunch of papers. "Do you recognise this?" he asked.

Tristan Greenfield took the papers and went slightly pale. They were legal papers. His hands shook slightly as he put them down. ""Where...where did you find these?"

"So you knew that Mr. Bonasera was filing a lawsuit against you for negligence during his wife's surgery," said the Doctor.

"I knew," nodded Tristan, sounding tired.

"Did you come on this train to stop him from going ahead with the lawsuit?" asked Rose.

"No," he answered in the same tired voice. "I had no idea he was going to be here. I was..." he shook his head.

"You were running away," guessed the Doctor.

Tristan nodded, ashamed. "I have already had four lawsuits filed against me. The hospital can no longer afford to have me on staff. Applepond was my chance to escape."

"Did Faber confront you?" asked the Doctor.

"No," he said. "I don't even think he recognised me. I had only seen him once and he was grieving at the time."

"Thank you, Dr. Greenfield," said the Doctor.

Tristan stood up. "I'm going to prison, huh?" he asked, sounding resigned.

"Not if you didn't kill Faber," said the Doctor.

Tristan nodded and left. Rose stared at the Doctor. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I found the papers on Faber," he answered. "Remember how Tristan kept talking all the time?"

"Do I ever?" Rose murmured sarcastically.

"He was trying to distract everyone from questioning him too much," said the Doctor, ignoring the jibe. "He wanted to be sure that no one would realise that he was running away from his responsibilities."

"Did he kill Faber?" asked Rose.

Before the Doctor could answer, the door flung open and Valerie stood glaring at them. "Well?" she asked. "Get on with your questions then," she said, seating herself with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Good evening, Valerie," said the Doctor charmingly. Valerie's demeanour softened slightly at his tone. "If you'd be so kind to account for your whereabouts, I would appreciate it."

Rose had to hand it to the Doctor. He was being the perfect mix of cunning and charming to wheedle information out of Valerie. It seemed to be working too, since Valerie immediately started talking.

"After supper, I retired to my compartment. I was on my own the whole time," she said.

"Why were you in the luggage car when the alarm was raised?" asked Rose.

Valerie fidgeted slightly. "When I heard the commotion outside, I went to check up on my valuables," she said. "I was afraid that something might have been stolen."

"And was there?" asked the Doctor.

Valerie met his eyes. "An ornate dagger is missing," she said. "It is about sixteen inches with a maridium blade and gold handle. The handle has rubies studded into it."

"Why didn't you say anything until now?" asked Rose as the Doctor fell into deep thought.

"I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that I had noticed," snapped Valerie. "It was there before supper and is gone now meaning that could very well be the murder weapon. I didn't want to alert the murderer."

"Wise decision," said the Doctor. "I will ask you to keep this between us for now, Valerie."

"As you wish," nodded Valerie.

"Thank you for your help, Valerie," said the Doctor. "I'll walk you back."

Valerie nodded gratefully as the Doctor stood up and led her out. He noticed Rose's confused look but he shook his head and mouthed 'get Rory' to her. Rose nodded and left towards Faber's compartment.

The Doctor left Valerie at the door of the dining car and was turning around to look for Rose and Rory when he heard a faint sound. His brow furrowed as he realised that it was coming from the core to the Key to Time. The Doctor drew it out of his coat and held it in front of him.

The signal was no longer pointing to the luggage car. The Doctor followed the sound and it became louder when he came to one of the compartments. He tried the door but it was locked. Using his sonic screwdriver, he entered the compartment.

The core got louder and the Doctor moved the pillow aside to find the ornate dagger covered in blood lying on the bed. The Doctor did not touch the core to the dagger, knowing that he needed the proof before he could revert the key back to the original form. He tucked the core back into his coat and used a handkerchief to lift up the dagger.

He knew whose compartment this was and his suspicions were now confirmed. He knew exactly who the killer was.

* * *

**A/N End of Part 3. The final part will see the killer revealed and how they did it. **

**Let me know what you thought of this one. The next chapter will be up soon.**

**~ Phoenix**


	8. The Space Mystery: The Reveal

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. Here, is the final part and the killer is finally revealed. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Space Mystery: The Reveal**

_Previously_

_The Doctor left Valerie at the door of the dining car and was turning around to look for Rose and Rory when he heard a faint sound. His brow furrowed as he realised that it was coming from the core to the Key to Time. The Doctor drew it out of his coat and held it in front of him._

_The signal was no longer pointing to the luggage car. The Doctor followed the sound and it became louder when he came to one of the compartments. He tried the door but it was locked. Using his sonic screwdriver, he entered the compartment._

_The core got louder and the Doctor moved the pillow aside to find the ornate dagger covered in blood lying on the bed. The Doctor did not touch the core to the dagger, knowing that he needed the proof before he could revert the key back to the original form. He tucked the core back into his coat and used a handkerchief to lift up the dagger._

_He knew whose compartment this was and his suspicions were now confirmed. He knew exactly who the killer was._

In the dining car, all the first class passengers, including the Doctor's companions and Carter sat at a circular table. The Doctor was the only one not seated. He was circling the table slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.

Rory was beginning to get nervous. The Doctor's demeanour was calm and his face was so expressionless that it was unnerving. He had walked into the dining car ten minutes ago and ordered everyone to sit down. He hadn't spoken a word since.

He looked at Amy who was seated on his right and realised that she too was tense and looked ready to spring. He had shown the grey ash to the Doctor and he had given it a quick sniff before nodding but hadn't elaborated. Amy met his eyes and he recognised the questioning look. She wanted to know what the Doctor's game was. Rory shrugged at her and nodded towards Rose.

Rose was at Amy's right, and she was looking just as restless as them. She saw Amy's questioning glance and shrugged. The Doctor was making everyone nervous with his quiet pacing. Neither of them had any idea. It was Kramer who broke the silence.

"What is going on?" he demanded finally.

The Doctor stopped in his pacing and met Kramer's gaze. "I do apologise," he said pleasantly. "I tend to lose track of time when I am with my thoughts. You know how that must be." At Kramer's incredulous look, he tilted his head. "No, I don't suppose you would."

Kramer evidently gathered that he was being insulted and began to rise furiously from his chair. "Now look here..."

"The purpose of us gathering here," the Doctor spoke loudly over him. "Is to find out who killed Faber Bonasera."

"Did you find out who the murderer is?" Janelle asked eagerly.

The atmosphere at the table became even tenser, if that was possible. The Doctor nodded slowly. "The killer," he paused, injecting as much disgust as he could into the word 'killer'. "The killer is at this very table."

"Outrageous!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Valerie. "Do you really think so?" he asked her critically.

Valerie opened her mouth but then closed it again. She had evidently remembered that there was a priceless dagger missing.

Watching her fall quiet, the Doctor proceeded. "Mr. Bonasera was killed with a single stroke of a blade. He bled out. But the question is, who wanted him dead?" The Doctor paused. "Rory."

Rory jumped slightly. "W-What?" he asked nervously.

"What did Mr. Bonasera say when he came to you?" asked the Doctor.

Rory looked slightly relieved before answering. "He asked for our help. He said he was in danger."

"Precisely," said the Doctor. "What would have put such fear in a man as ruthless as Mr. Bonasera was reputed to be? The answer, of course, was that someone had threatened his life. And the threat was severe enough for him to worry about. When he came to seek help from us, the killer panicked and took refuge in Faber's compartment."

"So when Faber went back in, the murderer killed him," said Rose. "But then how did the killer escape? We were right behind Faber and the door was locked."

"Always asking the right questions, Rose Tyler," said the Doctor, smiling at her. "Amy, what do you think? How _did_ the killer escape?"

Before Amy could answer, Kramer made a sound of displeasure. "What is this, 'show and tell'?" he demanded. "Get on with it."

The Doctor glared coolly at him. "I will," he said. "In my own time. Amy?"

"I don't know," said Amy, honestly.

"Do you know what? I don't either," said the Doctor and everyone gaped at him incredulously. "But I suppose we should simply ask the killer. Dr. Greenfield, if you will."

Tristan stared at the Doctor. "What are you on about? I don't know," he said indignantly.

"Oh come now," said the Doctor, his gaze cold as he looked at him. "I know you killed Faber."

"This is preposterous!" yelled Tristan as he jumped to his feet.

The Doctor glared at him. "Faber was suing you for negligence during his wife's surgery. He was one of the best attorneys around Snowdell and he would have been successful. And you would have been penniless and completely ruined."

"Alright yes, but I did not kill him!" shouted Tristan.

"After supper, you followed him to the luggage car and told him to withdraw his case or you would kill him," continued the Doctor mercilessly. "Faber had been drinking and was unstable which meant that he panicked and rushed to Rory for help. You had no choice, you had to run. So, you hid in Faber's compartment and killed him when he came in."

"You're just spinning wild tales," yelled Tristan. "Where's the proof?"

"Ash," said the Doctor. "From the cigars you have been smoking. I found traces in the luggage car as well as outside Faber's compartment. And then, there is the murder weapon." The Doctor pulled out the dagger wrapped in the handkerchief and placed it on the table.

There were gasps from almost everyone as they saw the blood-soaked dagger. Tristan stared at in horror. "I have never seen it before," he said, looking pale.

"It originally belonged to Valerie," said the Doctor, inclining his head towards her. "But you stole it when Faber ran to us. You didn't count on the alarm being raised so quickly which was why you did not have time to hide the weapon. I found this in your compartment," he said, glaring at Tristan.

"Someone is setting me up!" yelled Tristan. "I did not kill Faber Bonasera!"

"Oh no," said the Doctor ruthlessly. "You were the one who was doing the setting up. You grabbed the first piece of clothing you found in the luggage car which happened to be Janelle Lombardi's kimono which she had packed in her bigger luggage at the last minute. You thought that if I found that, I would suspect Janelle rather than you."

Kramer put a protective arm around Janelle as she gasped and stared at Tristan in horror.

"This is not true!" Tristan shouted.

"Enough," said the Doctor coldly. "If you won't confess and tell us how you escaped, then we'll just arrest you now and you can confess when we get to Applepond. Amy, if you will."

Amy stood up and pulled out a pair of handcuffs from her purse. Tristan was staring at the Doctor in horror and disbelief as Amy handcuffed him. "You are making a mistake," he said, his voice shaking. "I am innocent."

The Doctor watched him in disgust. "Get him out of my sight," he said. "Lock him in one of the compartments."

Rory jumped up to help Amy as they led Tristan out of the dining car. The Doctor grimaced as they disappeared down the corridor. "That's the end of that ghastly business," he said. He looked at the remaining passengers. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Tristan talks about how he got out of Faber's compartment. He will pay for his crime."

Janelle and Kramer nodded while Valerie was still staring at the dagger. "It has been in the Richmond family for centuries. Now, it is ruined," she said mournfully.

"Don't touch it," said the Doctor when she extended her hand towards it. "That is evidence."

"Surely, Doctor," began Valerie but the Doctor shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Valerie," he said, picking up the dagger still wrapped in the handkerchief. "No one touches it." As he lifted the dagger away, the tip of the blade grazed Keira Richmond's arm and an angry red welt appeared on her skin for a moment before vanishing.

She realised that her game was up the same moment that the Doctor dropped a blue energy cell around her, trapping her inside. She reverted into her original form and let loose a shriek of anger.

"What the hell?" Rose yelled, looking at 'Keira'. "What is she?" The pretty brunette had transformed into a creature with a long grey body, limp green hair and vicious red eyes. Her mouth was open and sharp, pointy teeth were visible as she snarled at them.

"A siren," said the Doctor grimly as he watched her yell and scream inside the energy cell. "A creature of chaos."

"That is not..." Valerie sounded faint. "My granddaughter. What has happened to her?"

"I'm sorry, Valerie but I'm afraid your granddaughter never left Snowdell. The siren was impersonating her," said the Doctor, gently.

"Is she...my real Keira...is she okay?" Valerie asked, still staring horror-struck at the thrashing siren.

"Yes, I should think so," said the Doctor.

"How-how did you know she was a siren?" asked Kramer, holding a distressed Janelle close.

"I didn't know for sure until I had finished interviewing everyone," said the Doctor. He saw Amy and Rory re-entering the dining car, looking upon the scene in horror and surprise. "Ah, Amy, Rory, if you could release Tristan, I assure you he is quite innocent."

"Tristan did not kill Faber then?" Rose asked.

"No, of course not," said the Doctor gently. "The man is many things but a killer is not one of them. Tristan," he said to the recently freed man who looked shocked. "I apologise for putting you through that ordeal. But I had to make the siren lower her guard to trap her."

"What's a siren?" Tristan asked, aghast.

"It's a creature that feeds off chaos," said the Doctor. "They trap and beguile people, and once they are under their submission, they feed off their life force until they die."

"A parasite then," Rory realised.

"Of the worst kind," the Doctor agreed, glaring at the siren who was now hissing at him angrily.

"She must have latched onto Faber then," said Amy.

"She did," nodded the Doctor. "But Faber broke through the spell. Remember he seemed so guilty during supper? He was feeling guilty for failing his wife and getting close to another woman so soon after her death. That's why he was leaving Snowdell behind. Guilt," said the Doctor softly. "It's a very powerful emotion."

"That's why he was so hysterical when he came to us," said Rory. "He realised what the siren truly was."

"But why kill him?" asked Rose. "He couldn't have harmed her."

The Doctor stared at the siren's red eyes. "It's because of me, isn't it?" he said. "You knew who I was and what I would do if I knew who you were."

"Yes, I know who you are!" hissed the siren angrily. "Interfering Time Lord of Gallifrey. You would have killed me the minute you knew who I was."

"How _did_ you know?" asked Amy.

"During supper, I noticed that 'Keira' was left-handed," said the Doctor. "Later at the end of our interrogation, I threw my screwdriver at her and she caught it in her right hand."

"So?" asked Kramer.

"She hurt her left hand when she used the dagger to kill Faber, just like when the tip touched her just now," said the Doctor as he held up the dagger. "Maridium is harmful to sirens. Just a single touch can be toxic and prolonged contact can kill them."

The siren was staring at the dagger in fear as if expecting to be impaled by it. Rose turned to the Doctor. "What about the cigar ash? And Janelle's kimono?" she asked.

"Like I said before, it was to cause confusion," said the Doctor. "The siren thought the blame would get pushed onto one of them. Most likely to Tristan since she left the bloodied dagger in his compartment."

"But she had an alibi," Rose pointed out.

Janelle, who still looked quite shell-shocked, nodded. "She was with me the whole time. We drank wine and caught up on girl talk."

Rose stared at her in horror. She had repeated herself almost word for word. The Doctor glanced sympathetically at Janelle. "I am so sorry," he said. "She put you in a trance. That is why you have been having so many mood swings. It's your mind trying to fight the siren's influence."

Janelle burst into tears and Kramer looked at the Doctor helplessly. "How can I stop it?" he asked.

"She will heal," said the Doctor gently. "Given time and care." Kramer nodded and held her closer.

"How did she escape from the compartment after killing Faber?" asked Amy finally.

"Sirens are powerful creatures," said the Doctor gravely. "They can transform themselves into literally any physical form. She could have made herself invisible and slipped past us."

The siren looked a bit put out which made them realise that the Doctor had been right in his guess. "What do we do with her now?" asked Rory.

Fear flashed across the siren's face as she looked at the dagger that the Doctor was holding. "I'm not going to kill you," said the Doctor, guessing her look. "I happen to know an excellent prison in the Prism galaxy that houses sirens. We'll simply take you there."

The siren began to laugh loudly. The horrible sound raised the hairs on their arms. "Captivity?" she asked. "You grow weak in your old age, Doctor."

"Not really," he said sadly. "Just more merciful."

"Your mercy means nothing to me, Time Lord," she hissed. "I have failed my purpose. And now I shall die."

The words caught up to the Doctor but before he could deactivate the energy holding cell, the siren had drawn out a vial of milky liquid from her dress and downed it quickly. "NO!" the Doctor yelled but the siren smiled mockingly at him and fell to the floor, dead.

The stunned silence was broken when the train came to a stop. "We're here," said Carter who had been silent the whole time. "We're at Applepond."

* * *

The return train from Applepond to Snowdell did not leave for another two hours. The Doctor and his companions had bidden a hasty retreat once the train had got to Applepond, knowing that the Doctor was not _really_ Inspector Smith. Rory felt a bit guilty about leaving such a huge mess behind but the Doctor assured him that human beings were good at coping and they would be sure to come up with a proper story to explain the bizarre events onboard the Orient Express.

At the moment, the Doctor and Amy were seated at a table in a small cafe while Rose and Rory fetched some food and drinks for all of them. Amy had been quiet the whole time but when they were alone, she leaned in close. "You heard what the siren said, didn't you? She said she failed her purpose."

"Yes I did," the Doctor said, looking thoughtful. "But I didn't think you did."

"I had heard about sirens," said Amy, not taking offence. "They are creatures of chaos, like you said. Maybe even an _agent_ of chaos."

The Doctor glanced at her with shrewd eyes. "Well done, Pond," he praised. He looked back towards the counter where Rose and Rory were placing their orders and lowered his voice. "I do agree that the siren could have been sent by the Black Guardian."

"He is not messing around, is he?" said Amy, trying to keep her tone light.

The Doctor did not smile. "Yes, the White Guardian did warn me about it. We should be more careful from now on," he said. "Keep this between us for now," he added hastily as he saw Rose and Rory returning to their table.

"Hey, what're you guys talking about?" Rose asked as she and Rory sat down.

"Nothing, just the usual," smiled Amy casually.

"So, what happened to the segment of the Key?" Rory asked. "Did you actually find it?"

"Ah yes," said the Doctor as he drew out the dagger from his coat.

"How'd you manage to steal that?" Rose asked. "I would have thought that Valerie would have demanded it back."

"She was a bit distracted after the events," said the Doctor. "And rather eager to check up on her real granddaughter."

"That is the segment, is it?" Amy asked, looking at the dagger.

The Doctor smiled as he placed it on the table and then touched it with the core to the Key to Time. The dagger shimmered for a moment before transforming into the second segment of the key. With a satisfied smirk, the Doctor tucked the core and the segment back into his pocket. "See," he said. "Easy as ever."

His companions chuckled at his proclamation. Easy had nothing to do with the quest to the Key to Time. But they admired his optimism.

"Two down, four to go," said Rory as they began to tuck into their food.

* * *

**A/N End of #2 The Space Mystery. What did you think?**

**Despite various variations of 'Sirens' in Doctor Who, there haven't been proper sirens in the show. 'Curse of the Blackspot' siren was a nurse and 'The Sirens of Time' are very different creatures but similar in some aspects. So, the alien is sort of a hybrid made from various canon and non-canon myths.**

**The next story is called 'The Gogan Colonisation'. It sees an old enemy of the Doctor making an appearance. They appeared only once on screen during the First Doctor's era but were recently mentioned as being a part of the Pandorica Alliance during 'The Pandorica Opens'. **

**Part 1 will be up soon. Let me know how this one was.**

**~ Phoenix**


	9. The Gogan Colonisation: Goga

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I adore you guys!**

**Here is story #3 'The Gogan Colonisation'. It features the return of an old Doctor Who enemy who will be mentioned in this chapter. **

**Also, I wanted to add that I do not wish to offend anyone. I have stuck to canon very closely when it comes to those villains and I am sorry if it comes across that I am being a bigot or fetishizing homosexuality. I sincerely apologise if I offend anyone.**

**Oh, and I should add that the TARDIS does not translate Gallifreyan. Not for anyone. Not even for Rose.**

**The history of Gallifrey is mostly based off canon but some of it is my own take on it.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Gogan Colonisation: Goga**

_The earliest known rulers of Gallifrey were the Pythia. They were telepathic beings who were very powerful and had the ability to see the future. Their time travel abilities were strictly primitive and unsuccessful. Yet even without time travel, they were feared throughout the universe. To end their rule of tyranny, the last Pythia cursed the Gallifreyans with infertility and committed suicide. Further details of this history were locked away in the Black Scrolls of Rassilon and are forbidden knowledge._

Rose flicked the page to the chapter on Rassilon.

_Rassilon was one of the main founders of the Time Lord society. Following Pythia's curse, he developed the technology of looms which would produce the new generation of Gallifreyans. He created houses and the Academy to ensure that the new Gallifreyans (more commonly known as Time Lords) would not turn into tyrants like their ancestors. _

_Rassilon was assisted by Omega. _

Rose stopped reading and turned to the part about Omega.

_Omega was an intergalactic engineer who revolutionised the notion of time travel by exploding a star and using it to boost Gallifrey's energy reserves. Gallifreyans now had time travel but Omega paid the ultimate price by sacrificing himself into the blackhole created by the stellar explosion. It was Rassilon and the Other who brought the Eye of Harmony to Gallifrey which fuels all forms of time travel for the Time Lords to this day._

_Gotcha_, Rose thought as she saw the part about the Other. She hastily flicked the pages to find the chapter on the Other.

_There is no account of the Other's true name but it was said that he was unlike any Gallifreyan of the time. His intellect was on par with Rassilon and Omega yet it was rumoured that he despised the notion of a strict Time Lord society. He wished for time travel to be used as a means of fighting the evil in the universe which went against everything that the new society was based on. _

_Apart from his usual bouts of eccentricity, the Other was also distinctive for..._

"Whatcha reading?"

Rose jumped slightly and snapped the book shut. "Nothing," she said, trying not to look too guilty.

"Yeah right," snorted Amy. "You are the worst liar I know. Was it something naughty?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"No," said Rose, rolling her eyes. "It was just history."

"Whose?" asked Amy.

"Gallifrey," answered Rose, not wanting to mention 'the Other'.

Amy glanced at the book. "You can read that?" she asked, in surprise.

Rose looked a bit confused. "Why shouldn't I be able to?"

"It's just a whole bunch of swirls and loops and circles," she answered.

Rose opened the book and flicked through the pages. She could still read it but Amy looked confused, meaning that she couldn't read it. "It must be in Gallifreyan," said Rose. "The TARDIS is translating for me. I don't know why it isn't happening for you."

"Maybe it doesn't like me," said Amy, sounding distinctly put out.

"The Doctor seemed a bit surprised when I told him that the TARDIS translated Gallifreyan for me. He never did explain it properly," said Rose absently. It had to be the TARDIS translating. How else could she read it? She growled in frustration. "Why doesn't that man ever give a straight answer?" she muttered.

"Whoa there, wolfie," said Amy. "Calm down. What's the matter?"

Rose closed the book with a sigh. She had gone in search of the history of the Other because the Bad Wolf defence was the Other's work and Rose found herself curious about him. Why could she activate his defence? She had managed to wheedle out that 'Arkytior' meant 'rose' from the Doctor, but Rose knew it must be deeper than that.

The Doctor hadn't been helpful at all. _"It's just a coincidence, Rose. I'm sure that it is nothing to worry about."_

Rose looked at Amy. "Did you just call me 'wolfie'?" she asked.

"Yeah," grinned Amy.

"Don't," said Rose, making a face.

Amy laughed. "Fine," she said. "So, what did the good ol' Doc do now?"

Rose shook her head. "Just the usual stuff," she said. "Never mind. Speaking of, where is himself and Rory?"

"Playing Somesian chess," said Amy.

"What's that?" Rose asked in interest.

"Don't really know. I had never even heard of it before now. But so far, Rory keeps beating the Doctor," she giggled.

They heard a loud thud that told them that the TARDIS had arrived somewhere. They glanced at each other in surprise and left the library together, Rose dropping the book on the table as she did. Out in the console room, they found Rory grinning unashamedly while the Doctor did the post-flight checks with a sulky look on his face.

"Have we landed?" Amy asked, looking between the Doctor and Rory.

"Yes," answered the Doctor. "The third segment of the key is at these coordinates."

Amy read the coordinates and smiled. "Oh, this is brilliant," she said.

"You know it?" Rory asked.

"It's the planet of Goga," she answered with a bright grin. "Early 36th century, if I'm reading the coordinates right."

The Doctor made a noise of acknowledgment. "Good thing too," he said. "Goga is at its peak in early 36th century. Wonderfully commercial and without invasions."

"This isn't like the Time Agency situation again, is it?" Rose asked warily. "We're not going to be a catalyst for its decline, are we?"

"You two were the catalyst for the Time Agency breaking up?" Amy asked in surprise.

The Doctor nodded. "We took the CIA's proposition to Captain Harkness," he said. "I'm supposing you were one of the Time Agents afflicted with the disorder that put you in a c0ma."

Amy nodded. "They never learned the real name of the disorder," she said.

The Doctor and Rose met each other's gaze and smiled. "Better that way," said the Doctor.

Before Amy could ask him to elaborate on that, Rory frowned. "Is this supposed to happen?" he asked, pointing to one of the smaller screens.

Amy, who was the closest to him, walked over and read the screen over his shoulder. "The coordinates have changed," she said, surprised.

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Read out the new ones," he said.

"12-9-5-2-3," she read out. "That's strange. The space coordinates are the same; it's the time coordinates that have changed."

"The segment has moved through time?" Rose asked in surprise.

"I think so, yes," said the Doctor.

"But that's just the least of our worries right now," said Amy. "Look at the time coordinates. It's not early 36th century anymore. It's the late 38th."

"Oh no," groaned the Doctor.

"Why? What happens in late 38th century?" Rose asked as she and Rory looked curious.

"By this time, Goga has been colonised," said the Doctor.

"By whom?" asked Rory.

Amy and the Doctor exchanged dismayed looks. "The Drahvins."

* * *

The visitor's arrival centre on Goga was all sleek lines and glass structures. There were rows upon rows of desks where employees were processing the new arrivals. Every single arrival on the planet was monitored and regulated through this centre.

"State your names, relationship status and purpose for the visit," one of the employees asked the couple in front of her.

"Penny Daniels and Naomi van Duren," one of them answered.

"We are married," her wife answered, with a smile. "And we are here to observe your ways and learn."

The employee smiled welcomingly at them. "Welcome to Goga, Penny Daniels and Naomi van Duren. We hope you enjoy your stay in our wonderful society."

The two women nodded and were allowed to leave the visitor's centre. At the other desk, another couple was being processed.

"State your names, relationship status and purpose for the visit."

"Fay Arri and Ben Desmond, we are married and here on our honeymoon," Fay answered with a beaming smile.

The employee nodded. "Kindly make your way to that office," she pointed out.

Fay and Ben exchanged a slightly confused look but went towards the office. A woman sat at the table and she looked up and smiled at them. "Oh do come in," she said. "My name is Bela. You must be Fay Arri and Ben Desmond." At their nods, her smile widened. "May I ask who recommended Goga as a honeymoon destination?" she asked.

"A friend of mine came here with her wife a few years ago," Fay answered.

Bela looked at Ben. "Ben Desmond, kindly observe all the employees at this venue and give us your opinion."

Ben looked confused but looked around the visitor's centre from a window in Bela's office. His eyes widened when he realised that all the employees were female. Not only that but they were dressed in the same blue and white pinafore and had blonde hair tied up in a chignon. There were black dots lining the tops of their eyes. He gulped and looked back at Bela whose smile was distinctly sinister now. Unlike the employees, her pinafore was scarlet and white.

"Male kind are not welcome on Goga," Bela continued in a sweet voice.

Fay and Ben looked horrified but before they could think of leaving, Bela pressed some sort of an alarm. Immediately, two women dressed and looking similar to the employees arrived there. "Scan the male," Bela ordered.

One of the guards took out a small, grey scanner and held it at Ben's skull. He yelped in pain as it scanned him. "What are you doing to him?" Fay asked, scared.

"Don't worry, we are only analysing his potential," said Bela sweetly. "If he registers an 89 or higher, he will be processed for mating. If not, he shall be executed." Fay let out a cry but was restrained by one of the guards with a firm hand on her shoulder. "What does he register?" Bela asked.

"76," answered the guard.

"Take him to the execution chamber then," Bela ordered.

"No! Let him go!" Fay shouted as Ben began to struggle. "Help!"

"Calm down, Fay Arri," Bela said soothingly. "You won't be harmed."

"What will you do to me?" she asked in a frightened voice.

"You shall be introduced to our Sisterhood," said Bela comfortingly. "A few days with them and you will realise the kind of animals that male kind are." She nodded at the guards as they took Fay and Ben away in different directions, screaming the whole way.

Bela sighed as they left. There's gratitude for you, she thought. "Next!" she called.

* * *

"So men are not allowed?" Rose asked.

"Drahvins believe that men use up more resources than they are worth, so they kill them," answered the Doctor with a grimace as he piloted them to the new coordinates. "Only a few are kept alive for the purpose of reproduction."

"Bloody hell," said Rory. "They're like bees."

"That is more accurate than you would believe, Rory," said the Doctor. "Drahvins have a very fixed social structure. There are the Elite, who have names and are recognisable by their scarlet clothing."

"The Elite are usually the leaders, scientists, government officers, so on," explained Amy. "They are actually born from a chosen male and another Elite Drahvin."

"Then there are the slave class who do all the menial work," said the Doctor. "They are identified by their blue clothes. The slave class are artificially grown and have limited intelligence and no concept of free-thinking."

"So, we've got the queen bees and the worker bees and males who are killed after their purpose is over," said Rory with an angry frown.

"That is horrible!" said Rose.

"That's how the Drahvins are," shrugged Amy. "Their planet, Drahva, was destroyed and they have colonised several planets since. Goga is one of the largest Drahvin colonies."

"We have to do something about this, don't we?" asked Rory. "I mean, we can't just let this go on."

The Doctor sighed. "Explain it to them, Amy," he said.

Amy looked at Rose and Rory. "The Drahvin era is fixed in history," she said. "Believe me, I did a lot of work in this time period. Changing this would be like stopping one of your World Wars or unsinking the Titanic."

"Meaning, it would be catastrophic," said the Doctor.

"So we can't do anything?" asked Rose, shocked.

"I'm afraid not," said the Doctor. "We have to get the segment and get out of here. That is all."

"Oh that would be easy," said Rory sarcastically. "Only they would haul us for mating or kill us the moment we step out of the TARDIS."

"Yes, I agree it's a conundrum," said the Doctor.

"What if just Amy and I go?" asked Rose.

"That could work," Amy agreed at once.

The Doctor stared at them in surprise. "No, absolutely not," he said.

"Yeah, what if you need help?" asked Rory, agreeing with the Doctor.

"We can look after ourselves," said Rose. "Amy knows all about this time period and I have got her back."

Amy beamed at her. "Works for me," she nodded.

"It'll be fine," said Rose, looking pleadingly at the Doctor. "We'll take the core and be in and out as quickly as possible."

"Doctor, you can't let them do this," said Rory as the Doctor got a contemplative look on his face.

Amy glared at him. "It's the easiest way. They won't even give us a second glance. We can locate the segment and be here back in time for tea."

The Doctor sighed and unplugged the core from the console. "You locate the segment and bring it back at once," he said, looking at both of them seriously. "First sign of trouble and you come back, understand? The segment is not worth your lives."

Amy and Rose nodded earnestly. "We'll be fine, Doctor," said Amy.

The Doctor nodded in resignation and handed the core over to Rose. "Don't lose this," he warned.

"I won't," said Rose, slipping it inside the pocket of her jacket.

"Alright then," said the Doctor. "I wish you both the best."

"Thanks Doc, we'll be back before you know it," winked Amy. "See you, Rory."

"Yeah, bye," said Rory as Amy and Rose grinned at them and left the TARDIS. "This is a bad idea," he said to the Doctor once they were out of sight.

The Doctor didn't answer. "Come on Rory," he said. "I want a rematch on the Somesian chess."

* * *

"State your names, relationship status and purpose for the visit."

"I am Amy Pond and this is my wife, Rose Tyler. We are here to visit your wonderful society."

"Welcome Amy Pond and Rose Tyler. We hope you enjoy your stay on Goga."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. How was it?**

**The Drahvins have only appeared once on screen in 'Galaxy 4' during the First Doctor's era. And even that serial is partially missing which is a shame. They are an interesting enemy. ****The information about their class structure is completely canon. They do operate like bees in many ways.**

**Once again, I apologise if I offend anyone with the content of this chapter. The next chapter will see Amy and Rose going to find the segment of the key whilst pretending to be a married couple. **

**In other news, I started a new story called 'Tales from the Vortex' which is going to be a collection of one-shots about AU meetings of Rose and the Doctor (in any of his incarnations). Check it out if you haven't already.**

**The next chapter will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix **


	10. The Gogan Colonisation: The Portal

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the first part of 'The Gogan Colonisation'. **

**Here is Part 2 and we have Amy and Rose going undercover to find the segment. I should have added this the last time but canon Drahvins were obsessed with beauty and had a deep aversion to anything ugly.**

**Sorry there isn't a lot of Rory and the Doctor in this chapter. This one is going to focus a lot on Amy, since it is supposed to be her speciality. **

**And I should add that I hate writing the word 'slave' again and again, and if there had been a different way to describe the class, I would have used it. I apologise to anyone that I might inadvertently offend.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Gogan Colonisation: The Portal**

_Previously_

"_State your names, relationship status and purpose for the visit."_

"_I am Amy Pond and this is my wife, Rose Tyler. We are here to visit your wonderful society."_

"_Welcome Amy Pond and Rose Tyler. We hope you will enjoy your stay on Goga."_

Goga, for all its faults, was a beautiful planet. The sky was a boring grey and there weren't a lot of trees in sight but the buildings were so tall that their top floors were lost to the clouds. Every building had a glass exterior and they each had a different colour.

The tall building opposite the visitor's arrival centre was a resplendent red and the one next to it was a dark blue. On and on it went with so many different colours that the whole place was shining like a brilliant rainbow crystal. Flying cars zoomed through the air space above the streets and everywhere they looked, they found various humanoid women dressed in many varied ways.

"Which way?" Amy murmured to Rose.

Rose took out the core and held it in front of her. The beeping was muted, so she moved around in a circle slowly. "That way!" said Rose, pointing down the street on their left.

Amy nodded and the two of them began to walk down the street. They passed various vendors selling jewellery, fabrics and perfumes and Rose was reluctantly beginning to admire the place. Amy guessed the look on her face and laughed. "It's hard to hate them, isn't it?" she asked sympathetically. "They really have been raised to think that females are the better gender and that beauty is the most important thing in the universe."

"It's not completely right, though," frowned Rose. "I mean, I am all for girl power and all that, but...gender shouldn't decide superiority. Know what I mean?"

Amy nodded. "From where I come from, gender has become mostly irrelevant," she said. "If it hadn't been for all my travels as a Time Agent, I would never have realised that different cultures regard gender differently."

"Back home, men have been the dominant ones for a long time throughout history. It's been changing a lot though. Feminism is becoming more relevant and prominent every day," said Rose. "Men can still be chauvinistic pigs sometimes though."

"Rory isn't all that bad," amended Amy.

"Rory is the exception," said Rose with a smile. "He's too sweet, bless him." The core in her hand beeped loudly when they passed a tall sky blue building and Rose stopped. "Right here."

Amy was looking at the building. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" asked Rose, noticing the slightly worried look on her face.

Amy pointed at the plaque which bore the name of the establishment in the building. "How do you feel about joining a cult?"

Rose read the plaque that read 'The Sisterhood of Goga'. "Oh bollocks," she said.

"Exactly," agreed Amy.

* * *

"Sister Ariya, we have a new member," Sister Mila said.

"Oh wonderful, who is it?" Sister Ariya asked, delighted.

"Fay Arri," said Sister Mila. "She was married to a _male_," she said the last word in a hushed voice as if saying a bad curse word.

"Oh no, poor dear," said Sister Ariya with concern. "Where is she now?"

"We had to sedate her. One of the worst cases of Stockholm Syndrome I have seen," said Sister Mila, dejectedly.

Sister Ariya patted the younger Drahvin's shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, we shall make sure that she is cured," she said. "I will revive her and start with her first session."

"Wonderful," said Sister Mila with a bright smile. "Will you require my assistance?"

"Oh no, some of the slaves will do," said Sister Ariya. She lowered her voice. "I need you to make sure that the temple is fine."

"Understood," said Sister Mila. "I shall go check on it now."

"Splendid," said Sister Ariya.

Sister Mila gave a quick nod and left Sister Ariya's office. At the end of the hallway, there was an elevator which she entered and pressed the button for the basement. With a ping, the doors closed and the elevator began to descend. Moments later, the doors opened at the basement level of the building.

Mila exited the elevator and walked down the corridor swiftly. It was lit by lanterns as opposed to the technologically advanced lighting that was used in the building above.

The slaves at the temple doors bowed at Mila and she spared them a disdainful glance as she entered. No slaves were permitted in the temple and there was good reason for it. Mila went to the big mainframe computer and started the boot up sequence.

_Enter Identification_

Mila scanned her retina and placed her palm on the touch pad.

_Identification Authorised: Welcome Sister Mila_

Mila quickly entered the code to open the portal.

_Opening time portal_

Mila looked up and smiled victoriously when a small light began to glow near the statue of the goddess at the altar. It became brighter and brighter until it was a circular portal, big enough to fit a grown woman. She waited for a few moments and sure enough, the portal glowed red for a second before a magazine slipped through.

Mila walked up to it quickly and picked up the magazine. It was dated in early 36th century. Mila smiled. Testing was becoming more and more successful as time passed. Soon, the Drahvins would have time travel and they would rule over all of time.

* * *

"I don't like it, Rory," said the Doctor as he frowned at one of the screens.

"I told you we shouldn't have let them go alone," said Rory.

"No, not about that," said the Doctor dismissively. "I am worried about the time coordinates changing."

"Why?" asked Rory.

"Drahvins don't have time travel," said the Doctor. "They never have and hopefully, they never will."

"You won't get any arguments from me," said Rory. "But if they don't have time travel, then how did the segment move through time?"

"I don't know," said the Doctor, sounding uncharacteristically frustrated. "It should not be happening."

"Maybe the coordinates were just wrong the first time," said Rory, trying to dispel the Doctor's bad mood. "Wouldn't be the first time that we have arrived at the wrong coordinates."

The Doctor snorted. "Haven't you noticed that we have been landing at precise locations recently?" he asked.

"Er," said Rory, realising that it was true. They hadn't missed a single destination of the key so far.

"It's because of the core," said the Doctor when he saw the realisation on Rory's face. "The time-space coordinates are the ones nearest to the segment. Usually, the TARDIS has a mind of her own when it comes to navigation but she cannot ignore precise coordinates like these. Besides, the old girl knows how important this is, don't you?" he asked, patting the console tenderly.

Rory coughed and looked away awkwardly. "Uh, so Drahvins and time travel," he prompted.

The Doctor scowled. "I don't know but I hope Amy and Rose find the segment and manage to get back unharmed," he said.

* * *

Mila entered the lobby when she was notified by a slave that two women had entered the building voluntarily. Her eyes widened when she saw the couple. The redhead was taller, with long legs that seemed to go on forever. The blonde that she was holding hands with was shorter but had an amazing curvy figure. One thing was certain, the couple was gorgeous.

"Hello, welcome to the Sisterhood. I'm Sister Mila. How may I help you ladies today?" Mila asked with a bright smile.

"Hi, I'm Rose and this is my wife, Amy," said the blonde with a wide smile. "We are actually visiting your planet and were hoping for a tour of your institution."

"Oh, how wonderful!" said Mila, excited. "We do love new visitors. Especially as beautiful as you two. Let's start at the auditorium, shall we?"

"Splendid," said Amy with a grin. "Do lead the way."

Mila clapped her hands in excitement and began to lead them towards the elevator at the end of the lobby. Amy leaned close to Rose. "Where?" she whispered in her ear.

"Downstairs," Rose whispered back, slipping the core back into her jacket pocket so that Mila wouldn't see it.

Unfortunately for them, the auditorium was upstairs. It was a wide room with seats arranged in a semi-circle. "We host our seminars here," said Mila. "There is one this evening on overthrowing a patriarchy in under a year."

"Sounds...wonderful," said Amy with a quick grin and elbowing Rose to do the same.

Mila looked delighted at their reaction and led them back to the elevator. "Up here," she said, opening the doors on the 16th floor. "We have the session rooms. We can observe one right now."

Amy and Rose tried to look pleased as Mila led them to a viewing chamber adjacent to one of the 'session rooms'. A Drahvin slightly older than Mila sat in a chair next to the bed of a woman who had been buckled down.

"That is Sister Ariya," said Mila. "Our senior-most leader."

"Who's the pri...um, patient?" asked Rose, stopping herself from saying 'prisoner' when Amy squeezed her hand tightly in warning.

"Fay Arri, she was brought to us today," said Mila. "Tragic case. Poor thing had been married to a man."

"Yeah, tragic," said Amy, nudging Rose to conceal her surprise.

_"Do you know where you are?" Sister Ariya asked Fay._

_"I don't...please, let me go," begged Fay._

"As you can see, she is suffering from immense trauma," said Mila to Amy and Rose.

In the session room, Sister Ariya pressed a button on the machine next to Fay's bed and Fay fell silent. "What happened?" Rose asked curiously.

"Oh, Sister Ariya just gave her something to relax," said Mila. "Now, she will be put under sleep. And then slowly, Sister Ariya will start to repair her trauma."

"Like hypnosis then?" asked Rose.

"Hypnosis?" Mila asked, confused.

"What Rose means," Amy interrupted. "...is whether Sister Ariya will be talking to her while repairing her trauma."

"Yes, exactly," said Mila.

"I think I need some air," said Rose, feeling bile rise in her throat.

"That's a good idea!" said Amy, at once. "Don't mind her, she's a bit delicate." She could practically feel Rose's seething thoughts but this was their one chance to shake Mila off.

"That's completely understandable," said Mila sympathetically. "Such a delicate beauty should not have to witness the ugliness in the world. There's a terrace garden on the 10th floor. I'll show you."

"Oh, that's not necessary," said Amy, putting an arm around Rose's shoulders. "Come along now, darling. Let's get some fresh air."

"Such a lovely couple," Mila smiled happily to herself as they left together.

Once in the elevator, Rose glared at Amy. "Delicate?" she asked.

"Oh come on, I was just trying to get Mila the maniac off our backs," Amy defended.

"These people are sick," said Rose, disgusted. "They are brainwashing those poor, unfortunate women."

"That's the way Drahvins are," said Amy. "I warned you."

"I know," sighed Rose. "Sucks that we can't interfere though. I would love to put an end to this."

"So would I," said Amy. "So, which floor does it feel like?"

Rose glanced at the row of buttons in the elevator. "Only one floor below the lobby," she said, pointing to the one labelled 'B'. "What do you think? Basement?"

"Very likely," said Amy, pressing it. "Let's see what it is."

The elevator doors opened at the basement and Amy and Rose exchanged surprised looks. "Now, this looks like a cult's basement," remarked Rose as they saw the stone corridors lit by lanterns. "What's their game, do you think?"

"Don't know," said Amy shortly. "This feels weird somehow."

"You know, we probably shouldn't tell the Doctor that we had to actually partially join a cult to get the segment," remarked Rose as they walked down the corridor.

"Why not?" asked Amy, amused.

"Can you imagine how unbearable he would become?" Rose asked with a grimace. She put on a faux-Liverpool accent. "No, Rose. Remember what happened the last time you ventured out on your own? You nearly joined a cult."

Amy laughed as Rose imitated the Doctor to perfection.

"Halt! Who goes there?" It was a pair of slave soldiers standing guard outside a pair of double doors.

"Oh hello," said Amy cheerfully. "I'm Amy and this is Rose."

Rose looked surprised at her relaxed state and wondered what she was up to. The slaves looked a bit confused before bowing to them. "How may we serve you?" they asked.

"What's beyond those doors?" asked Amy.

"It's the temple," said one of the slave Drahvin.

"Well, we need to go in then," said Amy.

The slaves exchanged confused looks but at Amy's imploring look, they opened the doors. "Please go in," they said.

"Thank you," said Amy with a smile. "And don't tell anybody."

"Yes," they answered.

Rose followed Amy in a daze. "What the hell?" she asked, once the doors had closed behind them.

"Remember what the Doctor and I said about the slave class? They have no independence or the power to think. They are just force-grown clones," explained Amy.

"So, they just obeyed you?" Rose asked, boggled.

"Yeah, we have names and are female," said Amy as she walked up to the mainframe. "They have to listen to us."

Rose wondered briefly if she was becoming desensitised to the Drahvins' treatment of everyone or if she was going mad, when that piece of information didn't surprise her much. She shook her head and looked at Amy. "What is that?" she asked.

"Some sort of a mainframe," said Amy with a frown. "Probably not important. What's the core say?"

"That's strange," said Rose, holding it in front of her. "It's gone silent."

"Maybe you read it wrong before," said Amy.

"No, it was pointing to the basement up until we left the elevator. Now the signal is just gone. Not just from the basement, but I think from the planet itself," said Rose as she turned around in circles trying to catch a faint signal. But the core stayed silent.

"How could it have disappeared?" asked Amy, confused.

"I don't know," said Rose. "Think the mainframe had something to do with it?"

"Why would it?" asked Amy.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Those Drahvins at the door called this a temple. Apart from that altar over there, does anything look like a temple to you?"

Amy's eyes brightened. "You're right," she said. "There might be a secret safe or something that would be cancelling out the signal or something."

"Can you get into it?" asked Rose

"I can try," said Amy, typing rapidly. "Ah, gotcha!"

The boot up sequence started and Rose gave Amy an impressed look.

_Enter identification_

"What now?" asked Rose.

"Don't worry," said Amy, reaching into her jacket pocket. She took out a small disc and swiped it in front of the retina scanner before placing it on the touch pad.

_Identification Authorised: Welcome Sister Mila_

"How'd you do that?" asked Rose, surprised.

"It's the ultimate hacker," said Amy, tucking it back into her pocket. "It hacks using the details of the last person to operate the machine. I said I did a lot of work in this era, did I not?"

Rose conceded with a nod and left Amy to read the databanks. She wandered over to the altar and held the core out in front of her. It stayed silent, so she tucked it back into her jacket. The altar itself was pretty plain and the statue at the end wasn't one that Rose recognised. But it was definitely a goddess of some sort.

She felt a sense of dread as she realised that Amy was right. This place was weird. The whole thing was made to look primitive but the statue was collecting dust while all the machinery was spotless. It was like the temple was a facade to protect something much, much worse.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a triumphant cry from Amy. Before she could ask her what she had discovered, Rose saw the statue start to glow. She raised her eyebrows as the glow became brighter. "Amy!" she called.

Amy looked at her and her eyes went wide. "Rose! Get away from there!" she yelled.

Rose stared at her in confusion before realising that the glow was getting brighter and uncomfortably closer to her. Slowly, a tear opened up like a small opening. Rose tried to move away but her feet were already caught up in the glow and she felt something pulling her feet. "Amy!" she yelled.

Amy ran to her and caught her arms, trying to pull her back. "Come on, Rose! Try to hold on!"

"I am trying!" said Rose as she felt herself slip further inside the circle. The glow was a bright red now.

Amy increased her strength and tried to pull Rose back but she was slipping deeper and deeper into the portal. "It's a time portal!" Amy yelled. "I don't know how stable it is."

"What happens if it's unstable?" Rose asked as she felt her whole body from the waist down being sucked into the portal.

"It will de-atomise you," said Amy through the effort of trying to pull her. "Hold on!"

"I can't!" said Rose. Only her head and shoulders remained outside the portal now. "Amy, tell the Doctor and Rory..."

"No, I'm not letting you go!" screamed Amy as she worked in vain to keep her from being swallowed into the portal. But her grip was slipping and Rose was being sucked in with a greater force than she could counter.

"It's okay," said Rose as the portal swallowed her whole.

"ROSE!" shrieked Amy as the red glow died down and the portal closed itself off.

Amy stared at the altar in horror. She felt numb all over. And just as she thought that things couldn't get any worse, Sister Mila and Sister Ariya entered the temple.

"Now then," said Sister Ariya, glowering at Amy. "You have some explaining to do."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. So, what did you think?**

**The next part will see what happened to Rose, how Amy will escape and what the Doctor and Rory will have to do. Whoever said that things would ever be easy.**

**Anyway, I just finished watching the Broadchurch finale and I'm still in shock. That is all.**

**See you next time!**

**~ Phoenix**


	11. The Gogan Colonisation: Eris

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. I am truly grateful.**

**Here is Part 3 and as you can see from the chapter title, we have a new player enter the game. To those of you who love mythology, I gather you already know who Eris is. I have tried to stay as close to mythology when writing about her. ****Her description, on the other hand, is my own.**

**Once again, not a lot of the Doctor and Rory. But they will feature in the final chapter.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Gogan Colonisation: Eris**

_Previously_

_"No, I'm not letting you go!" screamed Amy as she worked in vain to keep her from being swallowed into the portal. But her grip was slipping and Rose was being sucked in with a greater force than she could counter._

_"It's okay," said Rose as the portal swallowed her whole._

_"ROSE!" shrieked Amy as the red glow died down and the portal closed itself off._

_Amy stared at the altar in horror. She felt numb all over. And just as she thought that things couldn't get any worse, Sister Mila and Sister Ariya entered the temple._

_"Now then," said Sister Ariya, glowering at Amy. "You have some explaining to do."_

Amy did not respond immediately. She was too busy staring in horror at the spot where Rose had vanished. She knew for certain that the Drahvins had never mastered time travel, meaning that the portal would not have been stable at all. That only meant one thing...

"I asked you a question," Sister Ariya snapped and Amy looked up at her slowly.

"What?" she asked, glaring furiously.

"What are you doing here?" Sister Ariya demanded, glaring back at her with equal ferocity.

"Doesn't matter," said Amy. "Now, was that time portal stable?"

"How did you know about that?" Sister Mila asked, shocked. "Who are you?"

"It's not important who I am," shouted Amy furiously. "Tell me that the time portal is stable."

"What it is, is none of your concern," snapped Ariya. "Take her," she ordered the slaves.

"Sister Ariya, wait," interrupted Mila. "Something's wrong."

"What is it?" asked Ariya.

"The Apple is missing," she said.

Ariya turned her angry gaze on Amy. "What have you done with it?" she demanded.

"What Apple?" asked Amy, equally furious. "I don't know anything about an Apple."

"Don't lie to me, girl," said Ariya, advancing on Amy. "What have you done with the Apple? All equipment is useless without it."

Amy opened her mouth to deny it but then her Time Agent's instinct kicked in. The Drahvins thought that some Apple was responsible for the operating of the time portal. "It's safe," she said, changing tactics when she realised that there was no way that the Drahvins had built this technology. "But it won't be for much longer if you won't answer my questions."

Ariya swelled furiously. "There are other ways we could use to make you talk," she snarled. "They are ugly and unbecoming of us Drahvins but left no choice, I shall have no problem inflicting them on you."

Amy smiled impudently at Ariya. "I have wonderful resistance to pain, Sister Ariya," she said cheerfully but with a steely glint in her eyes. "But we can avoid all the ugliness if we decide to be mutually cooperative."

"Perhaps Amy is right," Mila suggested timidly.

Ariya harrumphed but nodded. "Where is the Apple then?" she asked Amy.

"Nuh-uh," said Amy. "My questions first: how stable is that portal?"

Ariya looked at Mila who cleared her throat. "We have been able to transfer objects successfully so far."

Amy relaxed slightly. "Where is the other end of the portal?"

"36th century," said Mila.

"Any spatial difference?" inquired Amy.

"No," said Mila. "This portal opens in the same place during the year 3713."

"Why are you so interested in the stability of the time portal?" asked Ariya.

"Because Rose fell through it," snapped Amy, at the end of her patience with Ariya. Ariya and Mila exchanged a look and Amy felt uneasy at the looks between them. "What?" she demanded.

"The portal is stable," said Mila slowly. "But not enough to carry a living person." Amy felt ice in her stomach at Mila's words. "The first time we sent a slave, and we never recovered anything."

"No," gasped Amy, aghast.

"I'm afraid your wife is dead," said Mila.

* * *

The first thing that Rose realised upon waking up was that she was...nowhere. Literally.

It was just a blank empty space with localised gravity and breathable air. But there was nothing around; no objects, people, sound or anything. It was a void; a null space.

She fought back a shiver as she looked around. It was unnerving to be in a place where nothing existed. If it wasn't for the slight pain in her shoulders and arms due to being used as a tug of war rope between Amy and the portal, Rose would have thought that she was dead.

_The core_, Rose thought frantically and checked her jacket pocket. She sighed in relief when she saw the core tucked away safely.

She looked around herself again and her eyes narrowed on something that was glinting...

Rose carefully walked a few paces away, towards the glowing object. _What the hell_, she thought as she saw a small apple made of gold. She lifted it up in her hand and was surprised by how heavy it was. _Was it pure gold?_

"Yes, it is pure gold," said a cheerful female voice and Rose whirled around in surprise. Her surprise turned to shock when she saw the woman, and she had to blink rapidly a few times to ascertain that she hadn't gone mad or accidentally consumed LSD.

The woman in question, was about five foot tall with frizzy hair that was brown on her left and a bright orange on her right. She was wearing a long colourful skirt and a rainbow print tank top. There were mismatched gloves on her hands with splashes of colours and the trainers on her feet matched her hair. That is, one of them was brown and the other one was bright orange. As if the clothes were not bizarre enough, she wore multiple hoops linked with each other in one ear and what looked like a small lock on her other ear. There were an astonishing number of chains and bead necklaces around her neck that clinked and jangled as she walked.

"Hello," the colourful woman said cheerfully when she reached Rose. "I see you found my Apple."

"Who are you?" Rose asked, trying to decide if she was a threat.

"I have so many names," she said happily. "But you can call me Eris."

"Eris?" Rose asked and had a sudden vision of Rory walking around the TARDIS with _A-Z of Greek Mythology_ and quoting random information at them after the Guardians' trial. "The goddess of chaos?"

Eris looked delighted that Rose knew who she was. "Oh wonderful," she said, clapping her hands girlishly. "You are the first one who knows who I am."

"Right," said Rose uncertainly. "I don't wanna be rude but aren't you...you know, not supposed to be real?"

Eris' smile drooped. "I _am _real!" she said, sounding petulant. "Why does everyone say that I am not supposed to be real?"

"Uh," said Rose, wondering how she was supposed to console a goddess who looked to be on the verge of throwing a grand tantrum. "Who said that you aren't real?" she tried, going for a coaxing tone.

"Apart from you? Those blonde idiots in the 38th century and the other idiots in the 36th century," said Eris, crossing her arms and pouting.

"The Drahvins?" Rose asked. "You've met them?"

"Annoying people," said Eris grumpily. "Neither sense of style nor any discord in their boring old lives."

"Yeah, totally with you on that," said Rose, unable to help herself.

Eris' grumpy expression broke and she smiled. "I like you, Rose Tyler," she said.

"I never told you my name," said Rose, looking a bit wary.

Eris laughed. "Oh Rose," she said mirthfully. "I _am_ a goddess, after all."

* * *

"She can't be dead," said Amy. "She just can't be!"

"Enough of this," snapped Ariya. "You will tell us what you have done with the Apple."

Amy thought quickly. There was no way she could do this on her own. "Rose has the apple," she fibbed.

"Rose, who fell through the portal, has the apple?" Ariya asked, as if making sure that she had heard right.

"That means it is lost forever," said Mila mournfully. "What shall we do?"

"I have a way of fixing this," said Amy. "That way you get your Apple back and I get Rose back."

"How?" asked Ariya.

"Well, I don't know how myself," said Amy. "But I know two people who do."

"Then send for them," ordered Ariya.

"Usually I would love to do that," said Amy with a falsely cheerful smile. "But some of their equipment might offend you." At their blank looks, she rolled her eyes. "They are men."

An hour later, when an irate Doctor and Rory had been brought into the cult's temple, Amy had to summon every ounce of self-control not to burst out laughing. It had taken a long while for her to convince Ariya that only the Doctor and Rory could help. After a bit of fibbing, convincing, cajoling and threatening, Ariya had agreed.

But the persecution of menfolk would definitely hinder them from bringing the Doctor and Rory through the City and into the temple. And then, the suggestion had come about disguise.

"Nice dress," she said finally, trying to stop the laughter bubbling in her throat.

Rory glared angrily at her as he dropped the feminine cloak he had been forced to don over his usual clothes. The Doctor, on the other hand, had already started to examine the mainframe. His cloak and hood had stayed on and Amy had to admire his confidence as he carried off the feminine clothes without the slightest bit of shame or embarrassment.

His only concern was to find Rose.

* * *

"So, all the Greek gods and goddesses were real?" Rose asked as she and Eris sat down cross-legged across from each other in the void.

"Well, we were real," said Eris with an amused giggle. "But the Greek part is a bit fabricated."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, curious despite herself.

"Oh come on," said Eris. "You're a time traveller and you can't guess this? We're not of Earth."

"Right," said Rose. "So, your lot crashed to Earth or something?"

"More like decided to relocate and set the foundations of a new society," said Eris. "It sounds noble but it was rather like a school project."

"Have all gods and goddesses in history been aliens?" Rose asked, not sure how she should feel about that.

"Most of the ancient ones have," said Eris. "Others were invented by humans. I know for a fact that the Osirians crashed in the place that you now call Egypt."

"But if you were on Earth all the way back in ancient times, what are you doing on Goga so many years later?" asked Rose.

Eris sighed mournfully. "Unfortunately, it's my planet's policy to prohibit us from interfering in the matters of the planet after our job is done," she said. "So, I couldn't go back to Earth. Stupidly, I decided to rebel and got locked up for my troubles."

"Locked up?" asked Rose. "That's horrible!"

"Actually, it's not," said Eris reluctantly. "I tend to get carried away when I cause chaos. But the imprisonment isn't too bad. I even have a chance to get up to my usual mischief sometimes."

"Like now?" guessed Rose with a sly smile. "This is your time off, isn't it?"

Eris giggled and nodded. "I have been having so much fun this time! The Drahvins think that they are getting time travel. Stupid cows."

"And what about the other end? Who's there?" Rose asked.

"Just some Gogans. They have formed a cult to worship me. I am flattered really," said Eris.

Rose nodded and looked at the gold apple in her hand. "So, what's the deal with this Apple?"

"And here I was thinking you knew all about my history," said Eris sarcastically. "It's the Apple of Discord." At Rose's blank look, she huffed. "Read your mythology! The Apple of Discord is my speciality."

"What does it do?" Rose asked, interrupting her rant.

Eris snorted. "It doesn't do anything," she said. "But it is an excellent device to spark a heated fight. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite had a legendary cat-fight over it back in the day. Your lot called it the Trojan War."

Rose's eyebrows flew into her hairline. "So, those goddesses agitated the humans into war?" she asked.

Eris giggled. "Fun, don't you think?" she asked. Rose personally thought it was horrible and said so. Eris was displeased and started to give Rose the silent treatment. It was only after a small green glow began to rise a few yards away from Rose that Eris looked up. "Our journey is at an end," she said.

"Journey?" yelped Rose.

"What else do you think we have been doing?" Eris asked grumpily, letting Rose know that she was still angry at her earlier remark. "You have been travelling through the portal this whole time."

Rose looked slightly thrown off by that remark. She hadn't at all felt like they were moving. "Will I come out into the 36th century Goga now?" Rose asked, a bit nervous as the glow came closer.

"Of course you will," said Eris as she stood up next to Rose.

Rose wondered how the hell she was going to get back to Amy, Rory and the Doctor. Once she reached the end of the portal, she would come out two centuries in the past. Before a cult, no less.

"Well then," said Eris when the portal was only a few steps away. "Good luck to you, Rose Tyler!"

The glow brightened before Rose could reply to Eris. She was apprehensive enough already but then she yelled when Eris snatched away the Apple from her hand. "Can't let you have that!" Eris yelled from behind her, which was followed by loud giggles.

Rose stumbled out of the portal, furious and nervous at the same time. She gasped as she realised that she was in the same temple that she had been in before. Except, there was no machinery in sight and the temple was spotless.

"She has arrived!" someone announced and Rose saw the group of people who had to be the cultists that worshipped Eris. Before she could understand anything more, the main leader who had announced her presence continued.

"She has arrived! The sacrifice!"

* * *

**A/N End of Part 3. So, what did you think?**

**For those of you disappointed with the Doctor's reaction, or rather lack thereof, the final chapter will focus on his side of things I promise.**

**Anyway, what did you think of Eris? I hope no one is offended by the whole 'ancient gods being aliens' theory. It is actually technically canon. In "Pyramids of Mars" the Fourth Doctor mentions the Osirians who crashed in Egypt. **

**I have tried to make the mythology of Eris as accurate as possible. The Apple of Discord is an interesting myth. I know that the Trojan War is technically mythology as well but Doctor Who canon has portrayed them to be humans as seen in 'The Myth Makers'. Especially since Vicki (companion of the first Doctor) becomes Cressida in history. **

**In other news, I have decided to change the update schedule of this story. It will now be Saturday and Tuesday. Hope you guys don't mind.**

**The next chapter will be up on Tuesday. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	12. The Gogan Colonisation: The Apple

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N We crossed 200 reviews! Thank you so much!**

**Welcome to the final part of 'The Gogan Colonisation'. The chaotic ride comes to an end and the third segment to the key is found. Plus, some Gallifreyan history.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Gogan Colonisation: The Apple**

_Previously_

_Rose stumbled out of the portal, furious and nervous at the same time. She gasped as she realised that she was in the same temple that she had been in before. Except, there was no machinery in sight and the temple was spotless._

_"She has arrived!" someone announced and Rose saw the group of people who had to be the cultists that worshipped Eris. Before she could understand anything more, the main leader who had announced her presence continued._

_"She has arrived! The sacrifice!"_

Rose panicked, not knowing what to do. There wasn't anywhere to run since she was at the altar and the temple was full of worshippers. The portal behind her was closed and she had no idea if it even opened from this end.

"She has arrived! The goddess has arrived! The sacrifice! Bring forth the sacrifice!"

Rose did a double take. Hang on, _she_ wasn't the sacrifice?

Her question was answered when a Drahvin was dragged to the front, her hands bound in front of her. Judging from her clothes, she was a slave Drahvin. She looked scared and very distressed as she was brought to the front and forced to kneel before Rose.

Without even thinking, Rose ran over to her and helped her up. The cultists, who had been cheering as the 'sacrifice' was brought to the front, fell silent. The Drahvin looked terrified as Rose helped her up as if expecting Rose to attack her.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked her.

She nodded quickly but then glanced in fear at the cultists who were coming out of their shocked states. Rose's face hardened as she pushed the Drahvin behind her and stared at the worshippers defiantly. "Who's in charge here?" she demanded.

A tall man approached them slowly and kneeled. "I am Vartok," he said. "I speak for everyone here. Is the goddess displeased with the sacrifice?"

"No," said Rose hurriedly, not wanting to see what they would do if she said otherwise. "I want to know why there is a sacrifice in the first place?" That was a safe question, she reckoned. Wasn't human sacrifice a bit _primitive_ for the 36th century?

Vartok looked confused and some of the others started murmuring amongst themselves. "Because the prophecy said so," he said as if it was obvious.

Rose considered going back into the portal, just to strangle Eris. Making sure that the Drahvin was protected, Rose looked at Vartok. "Stand up and tell me everything about the prophecy."

* * *

Rory had been having the weirdest day so far. Which was a huge feat considering what his normal day looked like. First, they had landed on a planet where his gender automatically made him the enemy. Then, Rose and Amy had to go and find the segment on their own. He and the Doctor had been impatient the whole time that they had been waiting inside the TARDIS.

And then the Drahvins had come...

_Flashback_

_There was a knock at the doors of the TARDIS and the Doctor and Rory exchanged a bewildered look over their 22__nd__ match of Somesian chess._

"_Why are they knocking?" asked Rory as the Doctor went to the doors. "I thought they had their keys."_

"_Because it isn't them," he said warily as he opened the doors and let the two Elite Drahvins in. "May I help you, ladies?"_

"_The dimensions of the interior of the ship are significantly larger than the exterior," exclaimed one of them._

"_You know in the old days people just said it was bigger on the inside," muttered the Doctor petulantly. "What do you want?"_

"_Amy Pond requests your presence," said the other one. _

"_And who might you be?" he asked._

"_I am Sister Mila and this is Sister Ariya," said the first Drahvin. She was younger and it appeared, less hostile than Sister Ariya._

"_Why did Amy ask for us?" asked Rory. "What have you done to her?" he demanded._

"_She is quite safe," said Sister Ariya, glaring coldly at Rory. "It's her wife that is in trouble."_

"_Rose?" asked the Doctor, alert at once. "What happened to Rose?"_

"_It is better if you come with us," said Sister Mila diplomatically._

"_Explain at once," said the Doctor coldly. "Where. is. Rose?"_

"_She's dead," Sister Ariya said shortly._

_Rory would never forget the expression that crossed the Doctor's face at those words. He had only ever read about seeing someone's heart break but the myriad expressions that crossed the Doctor's face did indeed make it look like his hearts had just been crushed into his chest._

"_What?" he whispered, aghast._

"_We don't know that for sure," said Sister Mila hesitantly._

_The Doctor straightened up, a calm mask in place. "Why did you come here?" he asked. "You certainly did not come here to inform me of my companion's...condition."_

"_Rose had an important artefact with her when she fell into the time portal. Amy said that only you might be able to help recover it. That artefact is essential to us," said Sister Mila explained._

"_I see," said the Doctor. "Lead on then."_

"_Not like this," snapped Sister Ariya. She nodded at Mila who gave them female robes._

"_Er, what are we supposed to do with this?" asked Rory as he examined the, well, dress would be appropriate. _

"_Wear it," said the Doctor. His cravat was already off, along with his coat and vest. Dressed just in his trousers and shirt, he pulled the robe over his head and expertly began to do up the fastenings. If Rory hadn't been nearly terrified with worry about Rose, he would have been impressed by the speed at which the Doctor got dressed._

_His own hands stumbled as he did the complicated fastenings. So much so that the Doctor clucked his tongue in disapproval before doing them up himself. Rory cursed his own burning face as the Doctor seemed completely at ease with the whole thing._

_Amy was never going to let them forget this._

_Flashback ends_

Right now though, the bizarre clothes were off. At least for Rory, they were. The Doctor was still dressed in his as he examined the mainframe. "Amy," he called. "I need your decoder."

Amy gave him the disc that she had used to hack into the system before. The Doctor took it absently and swiped it twice. The reboot sequence started up and finally it came to the screen which would open the time portal. Except there was now an error message on the screen.

"You see?" said Sister Mila. "We need the Apple to complete the process."

"What is the Apple exactly?" asked the Doctor.

"You ought to know," snapped Sister Ariya. "You sent your little cat burglars to find it."

"It's not important what it is," said Amy quickly. If they started asking too many questions, the Drahvins would know that Amy had never even seen the Apple. And then they wouldn't be able to find Rose. "The important thing is to get it to work without the Apple."

The Doctor stared at the screen thoughtfully. "You did it without the Apple before, didn't you?" he whispered to Amy in a very low voice, keenly aware of the Drahvins' superior hearing.

Amy nodded quickly. "I swiped the disc again," she said.

The Doctor knew that he couldn't open the portal like that. If the Drahvins realised that the Apple was a non-essential entity, then they would have outlived their necessity. He quickly made up his mind. "I need my machine," he said. "I might have some equipment in there."

"Fine," said Sister Ariya. "You can go and get it. But one of you stays here."

"I'll stay," volunteered Rory. "The two of you go and bring the TARDIS here."

"Are you sure?" asked Amy, looking slightly concerned.

"Yeah, yeah," said Rory, his voice slightly high. "Trapped in a creepy basement with Amazonian blonde women who want to kill me for being a man. What could possibly go wrong?"

Amy laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately. "We won't be long," she said. "Doc?"

The Doctor raised the hood of his robes and with a nod at the Drahvins and Rory, left the temple with Amy.

* * *

"So, the prophecy states that Eri...er, I, require the sacrifice of a blonde female upon arrival?" Rose gathered.

"Indeed, my lady," said Vartok with a bow that made Rose want to fidget.

"And then I'll bless you with the knowledge of the future?" she confirmed.

Vartok nodded eagerly. "We need to know what happens. The prophecy states that the future is colourful and filled with beauty."

"Right," said Rose. "I need a moment alone with the 'sacrifice'," she said the last word quickly and with an apologetic look at the Drahvin who flinched.

"As you wish," said Vartok. If he was confused by the strange request, he did not show it. He quickly ordered everyone to vacate the temple and leave the goddess and the sacrifice alone. Once the last of the people had gone, Rose turned to the Drahvin. "What's your name?" she asked her.

"I have been assigned the number 3," said the Drahvin.

"Right," said Rose. She had almost forgotten that the Drahvin before her wasn't one of the Elite. "How did you get here?"

The Drahvin ducked her head. "Sister Ariya pushed me through the portal when they needed a live subject to test it," she confessed.

"That's horrible," gasped Rose. "Did she know if you were going to be safe?"

Drahvin 3 looked confused at her indignation. "But I'm just a slave," she said. "My life has no importance."

"That's rubbish," said Rose firmly. "You are just as important as anyone else."

She shook her head. "I was grown for the purpose of doing whatever the Elite require of me. They know better than my class. They are stronger, more intelligent and they get the better weapons."

"Doesn't mean that they are more important," said Rose. "We are going to go back, you and me."

The Drahvin looked slightly pleased. "But how? There is no machinery here of the sort that is there in the future," she said. "From what I have been able to gather, they have been putting in 'offerings' when the portal opens from our end."

"So we can't open it from here," said Rose. She smiled at the Drahvin. "But once it opens from that end, we will jump right in."

"But how do we know that it will open?" asked the Drahvin in confusion.

"Oh, it will," said Rose confidently. "You just get ready to leave when it does."

* * *

Rory had to stop himself from sighing in relief when the TARDIS materialised in the temple. The Doctor and Amy stepped out almost immediately. "Right, everything is ready," the Doctor declared.

"What is ready?" Sister Ariya demanded grumpily.

"We will use the TARDIS to travel through the portal," said the Doctor. "It will be a bit more stable." It wasn't completely true but he wasn't about to inform the Drahvins that he possessed a time machine. In truth, what they would be doing is enter the tunnel between the portals and map the coordinates of the place that it would come out at. And then use the TARDIS to get to the coordinates and find Rose.

"Well, get on with it then," said Sister Ariya.

"No," said the Doctor. "I need Rory and Amy to help fly the ship."

"Why didn't you need him before?" asked Mila.

"Because it was a short hop and not through an unpredictable time portal," said the Doctor, like it was obvious.

"How do we know that you won't just disappear?" asked Ariya.

"Then send Mila," said the Doctor, looking at the younger Drahvin. "And swipe this across your mainframe's processor once we are all in the TARDIS," he added to Ariya, giving her a small, silicon rod.

"Fine," said Mila as she sent a reassuring look at Sister Ariya and followed Amy and Rory into the TARDIS after the Doctor.

Once inside, the Doctor geared the TARDIS to fall into the portal that was now opening. "Hold on now!" said the Doctor as the TARDIS tilted violently and shook and shuddered as she fell through the portal.

"What is happening?" Rory demanded as he clutched onto the metal scaffolding with all his might.

"Almost there," yelled the Doctor as he pulled a lever and the TARDIS stopped.

"Did we make it?" asked Amy.

"Yes, I think so," said the Doctor as he quickly went outside and found himself in the white, blank void. Amy, Rory and Mila followed after him, looking a bit stunned at their surroundings. "Marvellous technology," said the Doctor with a low whistle.

"I am glad you think so," said a colourful woman as she bounced over to them.

"Eris!" recognised the Doctor. "You are far away from home."

"Hang on, Eris?" asked Rory, his eyes wide.

"Yes, the same one you are thinking of," said Eris with a wink at him. "And I am enjoying a bit of a break."

"The portal is your work, I presume," said the Doctor disapprovingly.

"Nonsense," snapped Mila when Eris bowed in acknowledgement. "We built the portal."

"Why'd you bring the Drahvin cow?" asked Eris, playing with the beads on her necklace. "For your information," she said, glaring at Mila. "I built this whole thing. I even had your lot convinced that my Apple had something to do with it." She tossed the Apple in the air and caught it back. "It's just like old times. Bunch of cows fighting over an Apple."

"Where's Rose?" asked the Doctor.

"Never heard of her," shrugged Eris.

"Don't patronise me," said the Doctor in a calm yet dangerous voice. "You might have everyone here convinced that you are some fearsome goddess but I know exactly how to deal with your lot. Now, unless you wish for me to trap you in a wormhole for all eternity: TELL ME WHERE ROSE IS."

"Blimey Doctor," came a cheeky voice. "Have a bit of a problem with your anger, do you?" The Doctor's face burst into a smile as Rose ran through the void with a Drahvin behind her. But the Doctor only had eyes for her as he grabbed her and planted a smacking kiss on her forehead. Rose giggled as he hugged her tightly. "Not that I am complaining," said Rose. "But do you realise that you are wearing a dress?"

Laughter from Amy and Rory made the Doctor pull away and tug on a strand of Rose's hair in slight admonishment. "Never worry me like that again," he said firmly.

"Yes sir," said Rose, giving a mock salute.

"Touching as this is," interrupted Mila. "We need that Apple."

Eris, who had been scowling the whole time, glared at Mila. "You're not getting it," she said. "You lot are ruining my favourite creation yet."

"Go home, Eris," said the Doctor, rolling his eyes. "I think you have caused enough chaos here."

"No!" said Eris stubbornly, crossing her arms and pouting.

Rose contemplated telling Eris to stop being such a child when she heard a faint sound. Brow furrowing, she pulled out the core from her jacket. The noise grew louder and was pointing towards Eris. The Doctor, Amy and Rory knew at once that the segment was on Eris. Rose wondered briefly how she hadn't felt it before. But she had been a bit distracted back then after all.

"What is that?" Eris asked curiously.

The Doctor did not answer as he took the core from Rose and walked towards Eris. Eris glared at him when he came closer but the beeping became louder. When it came close to the Apple, it gave a loud beep. "Aha, it does explain why the coordinates kept changing," whispered the Doctor. "I'll have that," he said, holding out his hand.

"NO!" said Eris, holding it close to her. "You are not getting that."

"You know I'm not beyond using that wormhole I mentioned before," said the Doctor in a tone of a parent berating a misbehaving child.

"You wouldn't!" said Eris, stomping her foot.

"I most certainly will if you don't give me the Apple," he said firmly. At Eris' unrelenting look, he tilted his head. "I am a Time Lord. How good is _your_ history?" Eris paled slightly and dropped the Apple in his outstretched palm. The Doctor nodded. "Good, now off to home with you. Get rid of this charade, will you?"

Eris nodded sulkily, looking very much like she had been force fed castor oil. She glared grumpily at their backs as the Doctor, his companions and the two Drahvins returned to the TARDIS. When the machine was gone, Eris scowled and screamed in frustration for a moment before meekly starting to clean up her chaotic mess.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rory asked the Doctor in a whisper as he piloted the TARDIS.

"Sending Mila and Rose's friend home," he said.

"They're not going to leave quietly, are they?" guessed Rory. "They're going to want the Apple."

"I don't think they will," said the Doctor with a grin. Rory didn't ask what he meant by that but judging from the Doctor's smile, he guessed that Eris would be taking the machinery away.

He looked over to the other side of the console room where Rose and Amy were hugging tightly. He raised his eyebrows as he saw Amy apologising and Rose smiling happily at her. He wondered if they would tell him if he asked what had happened. Then he decided it didn't matter. It had been their adventure to share and it was fine if they never told him.

When they arrived back in the temple, they found Ariya throwing a fit because the machinery was all gone. She demanded that the Doctor undo whatever trick he had done. Even after Mila assured her that it had all been the work of the goddess that the Gogans from the 36th century had worshipped, Ariya stayed resolute.

Finally, Mila took charge and had Ariya sedated with one of the concoctions they used to subdue their difficult patients. "But we still need the Apple," she had said after Ariya had been taken away.

"Whatever for?" asked the Doctor, astonished.

"We shall build our own technology," she said, her eyes bright. "The Drahvins shall have time tr..." she fell unconscious as Drahvin 3 hit her with a stunning shot of her weapon.

"Escape quickly!" Drhavin 3 told them as they stared at her in shock.

"Thank you," said Rose. "Remember what I said about being important."

"I do," Drhavin 3 nodded. "Hurry!"

The time travellers said their thanks quickly and went into the TARDIS. The Doctor took them away from Goga quickly. Suffice to say that none of them were particularly keen to return there in a hurry.

Amy and Rory had shuffled off to their respective rooms as soon as the Doctor had converted the Apple into a segment of the Key to Time and put it away in the safe.

Rose was yawning and the Doctor finally told her to go to bed. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"In a minute," he answered. "I think I'll fetch 'Great Expectations'. We haven't read together in a while."

Rose smiled widely at him. "I'd like that," she said. She missed having him read to her. "I'll get in bed. Don't take too long."

"On my honour," agreed the Doctor with a wink.

Rose grinned at him and went to the ensuite of her room to freshen up before bed. The Doctor finally finished the minor repairs that their little jaunt through the portal had made necessary. He went to the library and found his copy of Dickens' 'Great Expectations'. He missed reading to Rose and he had come far too close to losing her today. Right now, all he needed to do was reconnect with her.

He was hurrying out when he saw that there was a book on the table next to Rose's favourite chair. Frowning, he picked it up and saw that it was written in Old High Gallifreyan. What had Rose been doing with this? His hearts thumping in his chest, he opened it to the bookmarked page.

_There is no account of the Other's true name but it was said that he was unlike any Gallifreyan of the time. His intellect was on par with Rassilon and Omega yet it was rumoured that he despised the notion of a strict Time Lord society. He wished for time travel to be used as a means of fighting the evil in the universe which went against everything that the new society was based on._

_Apart from his usual bouts of eccentricity, the Other was also distinctive for...__falling in love with an Eternal. Her name is lost to the universe, just as his. The forbidden romance came to a tragic end when the Eternal was condemned for falling in love with an ephemeral. She was cast into the vortex, destined to be born as a new being without any memory of her Eternal life. Heartbroken and mad with grief, the Other took his life by jumping into the looms, hoping to be born into a new life just like his lost love._

_One legend says that before she died, the Eternal bore him a womb-borne child and in fear of the child's safety, she cast it into the vortex. There is little to no information about the child apart from the fact that she was a female. It is unknown whether she survived her journey through the vortex or even if she ever actually existed. _

Hands shaking, the Doctor tore out the page from the book and tucked it into his trouser pocket. Some things should just stay buried.

* * *

**A/N End of story #3. Thank you for reading.**

**So, what did you think? We had Eris being sent off to her room, in a way. And Drahvins can throw their tantrums in peace. ****Plus, the third segment is found. **

**What did you think of the Gallifreyan history? The Other and an Eternal being that he fell in love with. Wonder who that could be...**

**Anyway, the next story is #4 The Clone Wars. It has nothing to do with Star Wars, I promise. But it does feature known Doctor Who monsters. **

**Let me know what you thought of this one. The next one will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	13. The Clone Wars: Torn

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thank you so much for the amazing response to the last story. Everyone really liked the Gallifreyan history. And just randomly, does anyone think of the Chameleon Circuit song everytime they read the words 'Gallifreyan history'. 'Cos I think of them when I'm writing it.**

**Anyway, welcome to story #4 'The Clone Wars'. I suppose most of you guessed already which villains are appearing in this story. But you might just be surprised anyway.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Clone Wars: Torn**

The Doctor watched the time rotor move up and down as the TARDIS took them to their next destination. The Key was halfway assembled and there was only the other half to go. Somehow, the Doctor knew that it was only going to get harder from here.

"Morning," Rory greeted as he walked into the console room. "Where are we off to today?"

"I am not quite sure," said the Doctor. "The place isn't familiar to me and _that_ is saying something. It's an asteroid near a very unstable planet as far as I can tell."

"Unstable?" Rory asked unsurely. "It's not going to explode as soon as we get near it, is it?"

"Not likely," said the Doctor wryly. "At least, I don't think so." His eyes looked past Rory. "Hello Amy," he greeted. "New clothes?"

Amy, who had preferred her skin-tight catsuits and jumpsuits even after coming onboard the TARDIS, was dressed in a denim skirt, striped leggings, with a tank top and a plaid shirt over it. She gave a twirl and grinned. "I thought I would try out the old Earth look," she said. "Rose helped me pick it out. Do you like it?" she directed the question at Rory.

"Uh...oh, yeah," stammered Rory, blushing heavily. "Looks nice."

"Where _is_ Rose?" asked the Doctor, without looking up from the controls as he prepared to land them.

"She's talking with her mum on the phone," said Amy. "It is not sounding pretty."

"Yeah, Jackie can be a bit overwhelming," said Rory.

"You've met her?" asked Amy with interest.

"Yeah, a few weeks after I started travelling in the TARDIS," said Rory with a grin. "We stopped by Earth for a day or two."

Amy looked at the Doctor, who was still busy with the controls. "Didn't think you did family visits," she remarked.

Rory laughed. "Especially since Jackie asked if you and Rose had started shagging yet," he recalled.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "It was a valid query from a concerned mother, Rory," he said. "As I recall, you were asked the same question."

Rory refused to be embarrassed at the memory but he must have failed because Amy laughed uproariously. His remark was drowned out as Rose came out into the console room, looking agitated.

"Everything alright?" the Doctor asked her when she hadn't said a word for a while.

"Fine," said Rose. "Really," she insisted when the other three gave her incredulous looks. "It's just mum. She wanted to know why we haven't visited in a while. I tried to tell her we've been busy."

"We can stop by Earth if you want," said the Doctor. "We could use a break."

Rose shook her head. "The Key to Time is more important," she said firmly.

"If you're sure," murmured the Doctor. At her decisive nod, he sighed and finished the landing sequence. "Then we are at the next location. It is an asteroid named Maxim Beta and the nearest planet is Neo Remi. Highly unstable planet."

"Cheery," commented Amy dryly.

The Doctor ignored her and pulled out a small box from his coat. Inside were small green pills. He picked two of them and gave them to Rory and Rose. "Take these, you two," he said.

"What about Amy?" asked Rose as she dry-swallowed the pill.

"Amy's from the 52nd century. She is immune to a lot of stuff that you and Rory aren't," said the Doctor. "Now, ground rules. We do not split up this time. Keep an eye on each other at all times." He unplugged the core and tucked it into his coat pocket. "We do not want a repeat of the Gogan incident. Understand?"

At looks of agreement from his companions, the Doctor nodded and opened the doors. Immediately, they were hit by a gale. "Blimey," said Rose, having to raise her voice in order to be heard. "Cheerful place, innit?" she said sarcastically.

Indeed Maxim Beta was one of the most depressing places they had come across. It was an empty expanse of rocks and dust, reminiscent of a quarry. Everywhere they looked was dull and grey. There were no sounds and even if there had been any, it would have been impossible to hear considering how loud the wind was.

"Which way?" Amy asked the Doctor, having to shout.

"That way!" he pointed, straight ahead. "Come along. No dilly-dallying."

Bracing themselves against the winds, the four time travellers started to walk across the asteroid. The wind only seemed to become stronger as they moved forward. Thankfully, they'd had the foresight to grab a warm coat or jacket before they had left the TARDIS.

"Is it me or is it getting darker?" Rory asked, shouting at the top of his lungs in order to be heard.

"It's not just you," the Doctor shouted back. "We must be nearing the night cycle."

"Just our luck," grumbled Amy. "How's the signal?"

"Still pointing straight," said the Doctor. He stopped suddenly and peered up the sky. His companions stopped as well, trying to see what he was looking at. It was hard to keep their gaze focused upwards since the wind was making their eyes water.

They had started to shield their eyes when the Doctor shouted 'DUCK!" Obeying him on instinct, they jumped out of the way as a red bolt of laser hit the ground where they had been standing moments before. The ground was now charred where the bolt had hit it. "RUN!" shouted the Doctor.

As more and more red bolts started to rain from the skies, the four time travellers ran through the windstorm, unsure of the direction that they were going in.

"This way," yelled the Doctor, grabbing the arm of the person nearest to him which turned out to be Rose. The two of them did their best to dodge the lasers as they ran for their lives.

"Who's shooting at us?" Rose yelled.

"I don't know! Keep running!" shouted the Doctor. As soon as the words were out his mouth, he stopped abruptly and Rose bumped into his back.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Cliff," said the Doctor, pointing in front of them and Rose had to swallow a gasp as she realised how close to the edge the two of them were. Another step and they would have fallen into the chasm below. A bolt fired inches away from Rose and the two of them felt their steps falter as the cliff's edge shook beneath them and some chunks of rock skittered away.

"Rose," said the Doctor. "We have to move away slowly. Don't make any sudden movements."

Rose started to ease back, keeping a tight grip on the Doctor's hand. But as their luck would have it, a bolt fired at the cliff's edge and the tenuous edge gave away. The Doctor and Rose lost their balance and were plunged into the abyss below.

* * *

"RORY!" Rory!" Amy called. She almost screamed when she felt someone grab her hand but relaxed as she recognised Rory's grip. "Any idea where we are?"

"No," shouted Rory. "No sign of the Doctor and Rose either. Come on, this way!"

"HALT, human scum!"

Amy and Rory came to a stop as a group of short aliens covered in blue armour and helmet walked up to them, pointing their guns at them. "Oh crap," murmured Amy.

"What? Who are they?" asked Rory.

"Remain quiet, human!" snapped the same alien that had spoken before. He put away his gun and slowly took off his helmet and Rory's eyes went wide at the sight of the alien that deeply resembled a potato. "I am Commander Styx of the 34th Sontaran fleet. And you are our prisoner. Come with us!"

Rory looked at Amy who shrugged at him in resignation. There was no way they could fight a horde of Sontarans. "Alright, we will come," said Amy, holding up her hands and nudging Rory to do the same.

The Sontarans made way for them, pointing with their guns. Amy and Rory started walking, trying to fight the feeling of dread. The Sontarans led them towards a huge Sontaran ship parked on the asteroid. There was a ramp from the entrance of the ship to the asteroid's surface. Amy and Rory climbed the ramp and they heard the Sontarans march in after them.

The ship was warmer and there was no need to shout anymore as they were out of the gale. "Take them to the prison cell and keep them there until questioning," Commander Styx ordered.

The Sontarans pushed at Amy and Rory to move. "Alright, alright," grumbled Amy as she and Rory were led into a holding cell. It was a small, sterile room with plain white surface and a hyperplex glass door guarding them.

"Who are they?" Rory asked, as soon as they were alone. "They look like potatoes."

"Whatever you do, don't say that to their face," Amy cautioned him. "They are Sontarans. One of the mightiest warrior races in the universe. The only way to defeat them is hitting the probic vent at the backs of their necks."

"Well that's good then," said Rory.

"No it isn't," said Amy glumly. "Sontarans don't show their backs to the enemy. And anyway, they are a clone race of millions upon millions. No way can we take them all."

"So we're stuck?" asked Rory.

"Appears so," said Amy. "We only have to see what they want us for."

"Great," said Rory as he sat down in the cell with his back to the wall.

"Cheer up," said Amy, sitting down next to him and bumping his shoulder with hers. "I bet the Doctor and Rose will have a plan."

* * *

Rose groaned as she felt immense pain in her side. She could also feel her palms burning and knew she had grazed them quite badly. She and the Doctor had gone over the edge but instead of plunging to their deaths, they had rolled along the side of the cliff and landed at the base. The wind was quieter here and despite it being dark, the visibility was much clearer.

Wincing in pain, Rose turned around to look for the Doctor. She sighed in relief when she saw him a few feet away from her. "Doctor?" she called. He didn't reply and Rose crawled over to him, trying not to cry out in pain. She had definitely bruised a rib or two. "Doctor?" she tried again when she got close.

A loud gasp escaped her mouth as she found the Doctor unconscious. The front of his vest was ripped to shreds and blood streaked what remained of his white shirt. Panic building inside her, Rose checked his pulse and was startled to find it weak. She touched her ear to his chest, mindful of the blood and his injuries. His right heart was slowing down and the left one was out of sync.

Her hands trembled as she rifled through his coat to find something to tend to his injuries. After three packets of jelly baby, a teddy bear, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and fifteen different magazines ranging from _Science Weekly _to _Vogue_, she pulled out what looked like a smelling salt.

Praying that it would work, she held it under the Doctor's nose. It only took a few moments before he gasped in a breath and snapped his eyes open. "Doctor," she called. "Can you hear me?"

"Rose," he sighed in pain. "What happened?"

"We fell," she said. "Doctor, you are bleeding and your hearts are not beating right. How do I fix it?"

"Third pocket," he said, grimacing in pain. "Disinfectant...green one."

Rose searched through said pocket and found a tiny green bottle labelled 'disinfectant'. Upon further searching, she found some clean cotton pads.

"Doctor," said Rose. "I'm going to take your coat and shirt off before cleaning your wounds, okay?"

The Doctor nodded and Rose took off the already askew cravat and tossed it away. She pulled his arms out of the coat, thankful that the coat wasn't too badly damaged. He would have thrown a fit if she had cut his coat. His shirt and vest were almost completely ruined and it only took a few well-placed tugs from Rose to rid the Doctor of them.

Now that his torso was fully bared, she carefully soaked the cotton balls with the disinfectant and started to clean his wounds. He hissed in pain when it touched his broken skin. "Sorry," she said. "I'll try and be gentle."

He nodded at her, being in too much pain to speak. Rose made her touch lighter as she dabbed the wounds with the cotton pad. As the blood cleared away, she was able to see that there were four major gashes that were causing the injury.

It looked very much like the Doctor had scraped his body against the sharp rocks of the cliff. He had been lucky that his chest hadn't been torn to ribbons. Fighting back tears at the horrific near-miss, she finished cleaning the wounds. Thankfully, the gashes appeared shallow and weren't bleeding anymore. But they were still open wounds.

"Healing bandages," said the Doctor, his voice a bit stronger.

Rose found a long roll of coloured bandage inside a brown box labelled 'Healing Bandages'. The odd alien bandages weren't something she had seen before since the medbay had different supplies. _Maybe this was the Doctor's emergency supply_, she mused.

Taking a deep breath, Rose started wrapping the coloured bandages around the gashes. The Doctor tried to keep his moans of pain quiet, but Rose still flinched every time one slipped out. "Are you...injured?" he asked as Rose was bandaging the last of his wounds.

"Bruised my ribs, I think," Rose answered. She had been ignoring her own pain but it was back in full force now that her mind was back on it. The Doctor started to sit up and groaned loudly in pain. "Lie down," Rose said, gently pushing him back down on his coat. "You'll hurt yourself. Are you sure these bandages will work?"

"They turn white, once the injury has healed," he managed a whole sentence without wincing but his voice was still weak. "Rose...let me see. I have to check you..."

"It's okay," said Rose, using a clean cotton pad to bathe the scrapes on her palms. "I'll do it..." The Doctor nodded as he started to focus on using some of his energy to speed up his recovery.

Rose bandaged her palms quickly but as soon as she tried to lift an arm to see the damage to her ribs, pain shot through her side and she crumpled. The Doctor sat up with effort and took in a deep breath before lifting her chin. "I'll do it," he said, softly.

She nodded as the Doctor gently eased her shirt up a bit so that her abdomen was visible. There were ugly bruises decorating the right side of her body, from her hips to just under her breasts. The Doctor picked up a disinfectant soaked cotton pad and ran it over the bruises. Rose hissed at the coolness against her burning skin and the Doctor murmured a quiet apology. Once he was sure that the injured area was clean, he picked up a healing bandage and wrapped it around her torso.

The healing bandage took effect immediately and Rose sighed in relief as she lowered her shirt back down. "Thanks," she murmured, hoping he couldn't see her warm blush in the darkness. She put a hand to his bare chest, ignoring it when he tensed. "Your hearts are in sync again," she said, sounding relieved. "A bit fast though."

"It's just the healing process," said the Doctor but wouldn't quite look her in the eye as he said it. "Any sign of Amy and Rory?"

Rose shook her head. "I think we lost them somewhere back up there," she said. "Are you feeling well enough to walk?"

"Yes," he said. "I just need a hand getting up."

Rose jumped to her feet and offered him her hand. The Doctor swallowed back his groan as he stood up. The healing bandages were still quite dark, meaning his injury was not yet healed. Rose picked up his coat, noting in relief that the core was still there. She put the healing supplies away and handed the coat over to him.

"I don't think I can quite put it on," said the Doctor, draping it over his arm. He took Rose's hand. "Come on, we need to find a way to get back up the cliff."

Rose squeezed his hand and nodded but they had only taken a few steps when they saw a green light coming towards them. "What the hell is that?" Rose murmured.

The green light came closer and Rose realised that they were a bunch of green-coloured, floating jellyfish. At least, that was what she thought they were until the Doctor tightened his grip on her.

"Oh no," he said.

"What is it? What are those things?" Rose asked.

The Doctor grimaced. "The Rutans."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading.**

**So, yeah: Sontarans and Rutans. That is bound to be interesting. Anyone who is confused: the Rutans and Sontarans are the rivals engaged in years of war that's been mentioned quite a number of times on the show.**

******The healing bandages (coloured bandages that turn white once the injury has healed) were seen in the First Doctor story 'The Edge of Destruction'.**

**Anyway, we got the Doctor shirtless. It is amazing how many times Eight loses his shirt (and his memory, but that is a whole another can of worms) in the Big Finish audios. But I can hardly blame anyone. Paul McGann probably has the best physique out of all the Doctors. Seriously google his shirtless pictures; the man looks like he has been sculpted by gods.**

**And on that note, let me know what you thought. **

**Part 2 will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	14. The Clone Wars: Battle Plans

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for the response on the last chapter. Shirtless Doctor was met with approval all around.**

**Part 2 is more of a filler, hence the short chapter. I hope you enjoy it regardless. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Clone Wars: Battle Plans**

_Previously_

_"What the hell is that?" Rose murmured._

_The green light came closer and Rose realised that they were a bunch of green-coloured, floating jellyfish. At least, that was what she thought they were until the Doctor tightened his grip on her._

_"Oh no," he said._

_"What is it? What are those things?" Rose asked._

_The Doctor grimaced. "The Rutans."_

"Identify yourselves," the Rutan in the lead said and Rose tried not to cringe at its voice. It was a horrible, tinny sound that reminded of a warbled radio connection combined with nails against a blackboard.

"Oh hello," said the Doctor cheerfully. "Don't mind us. We were just taking a walk along the cliffs, lovely night for a wander you see. But clumsy us, we lost our balance and ended up taking quite a tumble, didn't we Rose?"

"Yeah," said Rose quickly, since he evidently expected her to agree with him.

The Rutans listened to the Doctor's babble and the leader started shimmering. Rose's mouth fell open as the green jellyfish slowly morphed into an exact replica of the Doctor, down to the bare chest covered with bandages. "Identify yourselves," the Rutan-Doctor repeated in the Doctor's voice.

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. "Your technology has certainly gone up in the world," he said, sounding a bit impressed. "And to answer you, I'm the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler. So, tell me, what are the Rutans doing on Maxim Beta? You're a fair distance away from your carnage with the Sontarans."

"It is none of your concern," Rutan-Doctor said firmly. "Come with us."

Having no choice left, the Doctor and Rose followed the Rutan-Doctor and the rest of the Rutans followed them, making a glugging sound as they moved.

* * *

Over on the Sontaran ship, Commander Styx approached the holding cell. "You!" he ordered, looking at Amy. "Get up!"

"No," said Rory, standing in front of Amy. "Ask me whatever you want. Leave her out of it."

"The woman-one will be interrogated first," Styx was adamant. "Our records indicate that they are the weaker ones."

"Oi!" shouted Amy as she got to her feet furiously. "Who are you calling 'weak', ugly?"

"Silence!" Styx commanded. "The woman-one shows courage. But she will still be the first one to be interrogated."

"Like hell," said Rory angrily.

Styx raised his gun and pointed it at Rory. "Any movements and you will be obliterated," he threatened as the hyperplex glass door swung open. "You! Woman-one! Come outside."

Amy gritted her teeth but started to move out. Rory grabbed her arm. "No, Amy," he said.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine," she said.

"Amy! Amy, no," Rory protested as Amy patted his arm and left with Styx. The cell door swung shut and Rory kicked it in frustration, yelping when it hurt. He reached into his pocket to check his mobile phone and was glad to see that it had a full signal.

Quick as he could, he dialled Rose's number and waited. He and Rose were the only ones who had a mobile phone, courtesy of the habit of their era. It rang twice before it was abruptly cut off. Rory scowled and disconnected the call, his worry intensifying. What had happened to those two?

* * *

"You didn't have to do that!" Rose protested as she looked at the large burn mark on her phone.

The Rutans ignored her and Rose glared at the Rutan-Doctor's back as she and the Doctor followed. Upon hearing her phone ring, the Rutan-Doctor had fired a small bolt at the phone, rendering it useless for the time being.

The Doctor still looked furious as they reached the Rutan ship. The bolt had fired too close to Rose and another inch or two would have meant that it would have hit her instead of the phone. He tightened his grip on her hand, being mindful of not crushing it since the bandages on her hand were still a dark beige.

The Rutan ship was quite magnificent in appearance with the glowing red crystalline surface on the outside. The inside was dark with occasional flashes of crimson that told the Doctor that they were running scans on the asteroid.

"Over here," the Rutan-Doctor ordered and the Doctor and Rose were asked to sit at a table. They sat down side-by-side, the Doctor glowering intensely at his double.

"Any reason why you have brought us here?" the Doctor demanded.

"State the purpose of your visit to Maxim Beta," commanded the Rutan-Doctor coldly.

"I told you already," snapped the Doctor. "We landed here and decided to go off on a wander."

"Do not lie!" snapped the Rutan-Doctor. "We know you are here for the segment."

The Doctor tensed and exchanged a worried glance with Rose. "The segment?" the Doctor asked.

The Rutan-Doctor glared at them both. "The Rutans have claimed the segment in their name. No one else shall have it. Neither you humanoids nor the Sontaran rabble."

"What segment is this?" the Doctor asked, a contemplative gleam appearing in his eyes.

"Do not play the innocent fool," snapped the Rutan-Doctor. "We know you are here for the Heleonic segment."

"Heleonic?" the Doctor asked, wondering why that sounded familiar. "No," he said, once he realised what it was. "You can't possibly..."

"Why? What is it?" Rose asked curiously, her original relief over the segment of the Key to Time giving way to wariness over the Doctor's horror.

"The Heleonic segment has a very unique property," the Doctor explained, keeping his eye fixed on the double who was glaring at him. "It can be harnessed to create a beam that can transform matter into anti-matter."

"Purpose confirmed," the Rutan-Doctor proclaimed. "You shall now be obliterated."

"No, no, no, wait," said the Doctor, quickly. "You mentioned the Sontarans. Are they here too?"

"The rabble has parked their ship on the other side of no-man's land," spat the Rutan-Doctor in disgust.

"No-man's land, eh?" murmured the Doctor.

"And we landed the TARDIS right in the middle of it," Rose whispered back to him.

"Look," said the Doctor to his Rutan double. "We have no interest in the Heleonic segment. We are obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time. Seems to happen a lot to me, I have to tell you. But," his voice became more focused. "I am guessing that the segment is also in the no-man's land which is why you haven't got it yet."

The Rutan-Doctor glared at the Doctor. "Your point?" he demanded.

"My point is," said the Doctor eagerly. "We don't want anything to do with your war with the Sontarans. If you let us go, we can fetch the segment for you in exchange for our freedom."

"How do we know you will not try to escape?" demanded the Rutan-Doctor.

"Oh, you can send a small contingent of Rutans with us," said the Doctor with a wide smile. "In fact, we insist on it."

The Rutan-Doctor looked suspicious for a moment before nodding. "Fine, wait here," he said and then morphed back into his original form.

Rose was inordinately relieved when that happened. It was getting really weird watching two Doctors argue back and forth. And the Rutan-Doctor was very creepy.

"Rose, I need your phone," whispered the Doctor in her ear.

"But it's broken," Rose whispered back.

The Doctor looked insistent so Rose passed him the phone. He used his coat to hide what he was doing and began to fiddle with the phone with his sonic screwdriver. Rose wondered what he was doing and asked him so. "Trying something," he answered unhelpfully. "I just hope this works."

"Doctor," said Rose, exasperated. "Can you just tell me what hare-brained scheme you have come up with?"

"I am sending a little message to Rory," he said, managing to connect the phone's system enough to send a message. "If we are lucky, they have been captured by Sontarans."

"How is that lucky?" Rose hissed.

"It's lucky because once the Sontarans read this message, then they will undoubtedly be on their way to collect the segment," said the Doctor. "Aha," he murmured. "Here we go."

"That's your plan?" Rose asked. "Get the Sontarans and Rutans in the same place at the same time?"

"Brilliant, isn't it?" he asked with a quick grin. "Let them fight it out while we escape."

"Or die in the crossfire," muttered Rose. "You nutter, you sure you didn't hit your head on the way down?"

The Doctor gave her a wounded look. "Rose, it is a brilliant idea and I admit it's risky but it's the best we have so far."

"And what if they haven't been captured by Sontarans, hmm?" Rose asked in a furious whisper.

"Then they are back in the TARDIS and we can join them once the Rutans have let us go," he said.

"And what about the segment?" Rose asked.

"Which one?" he asked with a grin, and sobered up when Rose glared at him. "The Heleonic segment is useless. The Rutans will not be able to create the anti-matter beam even if they do get the segment. It's way beyond them. As for the key, well, once the Sontarans and Rutans sort out their differences, we can resume our search," he explained. "There, done!"

Rose sighed and shook her head. "I only hope you are right," she muttered. "Otherwise we are all doomed."

"Don't be so dramatic, Rose," said the Doctor with a grin. "You'll see. Nothing can go wrong."

Rose groaned. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"

* * *

"What is this device?" Styx asked Rory.

"It's a mobile," Rory said.

Styx had interrogated Amy and then him, but they had both told him the same thing. They were not here for the Heleonic segment. Whatever the hell that was. But then, Rory's phone had buzzed with a message. The phone that Styx was now holding.

_Rutans are moving in to get the segment_.

"I knew it!" Styx declared. "Rutan scum!"

"What's going on?" Amy muttered to Rory.

"The Doctor's work, no doubt," Rory whispered back. "It's going to get us killed."

"Or not," Amy muttered. "Oi, Potato-face!" she called. Styx glared at her and she waved cheekily. "The Rutans are moving in. Aren't you lot going to march over there to stop them? Or are you too much of cowards to face them?"

"You insult us, woman-one?" Styx roared. "Open cell! You two shall accompany us and watch the Sontarans crush the Rutan scum."

Still shaking with anger, Styx rallied his troops and glared at Amy and Rory to follow. Amy winked at Rory. "Like taking a candy from a baby," she murmured.

Rory's lips twitched. "What do you think the Doctor's up to?"

"My guess? He's getting the jellyfish and potatoheads in one place and waiting for the powder keg to blow itself up," Amy said as they followed the Sontarans out of the ship.

"And how do we avoid getting killed?" Rory asked.

"Believe me," smirked Amy. "When Rutans and Sontarans come face to face, we could dance around them wearing bulls-eyes and they still wouldn't shoot at us."

"I just hope you are right," said Rory. "Where is this segment anyway?"

"I'm guessing in the same area that they were firing in," said Amy. "The TARDIS is somewhere down there," said Amy, pointing to their right where it sloped downwards.

"Do you think it's weird that they are taking us to the same place where the core was pointing at before?" Rory asked.

"Do you mean, is the the Heleonic segment the fourth segment of the key?" Amy guessed. "I don't know. I hope not, anyway. It would make this much more complicated."

"Take formation!" Styx ordered and Amy and Rory saw a large depression in the ground. The Sontarans stood around it, their guns ready. "The segment," Commander Styx said. "Is in the catacombs. Begin descent."

At his command, the Sontarans started to jump into the hole one after another. Styx looked at Amy and Rory. "Jump, human scum!"

"Yeah, no," said Rory. "That looks way too deep."

Styx grumbled about weaklings before asking one of the soldiers to hand him a length of coil. He gave it to them. "Use this!" he ordered.

Rory raised his eyebrows before tying one end of the coil to one of the large boulders near the hole. He tossed the rest of it down. "Can you climb down?" he asked Amy.

"Course," answered Amy. She gripped it tightly and using the surrounding surface of the hole as leverage, began to descend downwards. Thankfully, it was only a small way down and she gave a shout to Rory once she was down. Rory followed soon after and Commander Styx rolled his eyes before jumping into the hole after them.

"To the left!" Commander Styx commanded and the Sontarans, and Amy and Rory began their trek through the narrow passageways under the surface of the asteroid to get to the segment.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose had followed the Rutans on a path through a cave in the cliffs and into the catacombs. They were moving right steadily, towards the segment. The Doctor was holding Rose's hand as they walked, both of them being mindful of the fact that any corner they turned at could have the Sontarans waiting to ambush them.

In the deepest of the caves where the Heleonic segment was resting, its guardians cackled in amusement as they watched the Sontarans and Rutans try and enter their domain through opposite ends.

"Soon," said their leader as the rest of them laughed loudly. "They shall be here soon. And we shall be avenged at last."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what did you think? The Sontarans and Rutans are a bit too easy to rile up and fool. Clone races raised for war, not too bright.**

**The Rutan technology is a bit of an upgrade from the TV show. In the TV episode, they had to kill their subject before assuming their form, but now they can do that instantly.**

**And there is a third enemy entering the bunch. Once again, they are known Doctor Who aliens. Connected to the Sontarans.**

**Part 3 will see them meeting and sparks flying. Not in the fun way though. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	15. The Clone Wars: The Segment

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for the response on the last chapter. ****I am sorry that I haven't been updating but the site wasn't sending out alerts for some reason. And then, my laptop broke down meaning I lost about a week's worth of writing. Thankfully, I have a new laptop now and I have finally caught up to the point where I was a week ago.**

**Anyway, here is Part 3 and a twist at the end. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Clone Wars: The Segment**

_Previously_

_"To the left!" Commander Styx commanded and the Sontarans, and Amy and Rory began their trek through the narrow passageways under the surface of the asteroid to get to the segment._

_Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose had followed the Rutans on a path through a cave in the cliffs and into the catacombs. They were moving right steadily, towards the segment. The Doctor was holding Rose's hand as they walked, both of them being mindful of the fact that any corner they turned at could have the Sontarans waiting to ambush them._

_In the deepest of the caves where the Heleonic segment was resting, its guardians cackled in amusement as they watched the Sontarans and Rutans try and enter their domain through opposite ends._

_"Soon," said their leader as the rest of them laughed loudly. "They shall be here soon. And we shall be avenged at last."_

The Doctor and Rose had been walking for about half an hour with the Rutans when a worried expression crossed the Doctor's face. Rose looked at him questioningly and he leaned closer to her to answer.

"The core is giving a signal," he whispered. "Straight ahead."

"The way we are going?" she asked. "That's good, isn't it? If the Rutans and Sontarans are fighting, we can get the segment easily."

The Doctor pursed his lips and pulled her to a stop while the Rutans got rid of a blockage in their path. "I need your shirt," he said.

Rose looked at the bright pink tank top she was wearing under her darker pink hoodie. She raised her eyebrows at the Doctor. "I don't know if it's your colour," she joked lightly.

The Doctor looked a bit perplexed. "Nonsense," he declared. "I know for a fact that I can carry off pink quite well. But that's not why I need it."

"Why do you need it then?" asked Rose.

"To leave a message for Amy and Rory," he said. He held his hand out impatiently.

Realising that he was not joking, Rose shrugged. "Do you need it in one piece?" she asked in a matter of fact tone. She'd had far weirder requests from him after all.

"It's not a requirement," he said dryly.

Rose nodded and zipped up her hoodie. She reached under it and with one single tug, had her tank top torn from her shoulders. The Doctor watched with an impressed look as she handed him the remains of her pink tank top without ever taking her hoodie off.

"Thank you," he said and then reached into the pocket of his coat to pull out a thin, metal rod about three feet in length. "Keep a look out," said the Doctor.

Rose chanced a quick look towards the Rutans and saw them attaching minor explosives to the blockage in their way. None of them were paying close attention to the Doctor or her. She looked back at the Doctor and saw him mounting her pink shirt on the rod like a flag. Before she could ask what he was doing, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against his body. She didn't have a chance to ask before a loud explosion rang behind them.

"Are you okay?" she heard him ask her and she nodded hastily, trying not to shiver because of his cool chest against her body. "Some warning would have been nice!" he snapped at the Rutans who ignored him and began to move forward.

"What is that flag for?" Rose asked as the Doctor hid it inside his coat and pulled her after the Rutans.

"Can't you feel it?" he asked her. At the blank look that Rose gave him, he looked genuinely annoyed. "Sometimes I envy human minds," he muttered.

"Oi!" snapped Rose, punching his arm, being mindful not to hit an injured spot. "Enough of the condescending attitude."

He rubbed his arm with an exaggerated scowl. "There are strong telepathic waves through here. And for some odd reason, they are very familiar to me."

"Sontarans aren't telepathic, I'm guessing," said Rose.

"No, they are not," said the Doctor. "I have a feeling there is more at work here than we have been led to believe."

* * *

"SONTAR-HA! SONTAR-HA! SONTAR-HA!"

"Don't they ever stop?" grumbled Rory.

"No," said Amy, looking just as tired of the chant.

"Do we have a plan?" he asked her in a low voice.

"Well, no," said Amy.

"Great," said Rory, sarcasm evident in his voice. "So, we are just walking into a big ambush with no plan. Brilliant."

Amy laughed and patted his cheek. "We're just going to wing it," she said with a bright grin.

"Wing it?" Rory smiled despite himself. "Where'd you hear that one?"

"One of your 21st century films," said Amy. "It was in the right context, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," agreed Rory with a laugh. "Yeah, it was."

"HALT!" ordered Styx and Amy and Rory came to a stop with the rest of the Sontarans. "We shall regroup in order to discuss tactics. The human scum will stay here."

Amy and Rory glared at Styx as the Sontarans huddled around each other. "I am really tired of being called 'scum' by potatoheads," muttered Amy as she and Rory stood to the side. She looked at Rory who was rubbing his head. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Getting a bit of a headache."

Amy ran a hand through his hair almost absently and he stared at her in shock, a blush rising on his cheeks. "Sorry, did I do something wrong?" she asked, slightly thrown by the look in his eyes.

"No, no," he said at once, ducking his gaze. "Amy, I was wondering if…"

"Keep moving, human scum!" Styx ordered and whatever Rory was about to say was cut short. Amy could have smacked the potato for that. Especially since it had looked like Rory was finally going to make a move on her.

As they started their trek back up again, Amy wondered what exactly Rory would have said. Would he finally have asked her to start a romantic relationship with him? As a woman of the 52nd century, Amy had no problem with going through lovers like clothes but Rory was different. Even from the time that he came in, he had known Amy long enough to make a move but he hadn't dared for reasons Amy hadn't understood. Finally, this morning when Rose had helped her pick out the old Earth clothes, she had mustered up the courage to ask Rose for some friendly advice.

"_Rory is different," said Rose as she tossed her the skirt and leggings. "He's shy and he respects you far too much to go in for a one-night stand."_

"_How do I get him to make a move then?" asked Amy as she pulled her new clothes on._

"_Ease him into it," said Rose. "Flirt with him a bit more. Let him know you are interested."_

"_I thought I was already doing that," snapped Amy indignantly._

_Rose had giggled. "Amy, you flirt with everyone we meet," she pointed out. _

"_So, I should pay more attention to Rory?" she asked, as if that was a bit of an odd concept._

_Rose nodded. "Yeah, you do that. And if he doesn't ask you after that, I'll be sure to smack some sense into him."_

Said man in question was still rubbing his head and Amy squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Don't worry, we'll get out of it," she promised him.

He smiled gratefully at her as they reached a wide chamber lit by solar lamps. "This is it," he whispered. "Any sign of the others?"

Amy ran her eyes around the chamber but couldn't see anyone around. Yet the hairs on her arms were raised like she was being watched. She moved closer to Rory. "Get ready to run," she whispered to him.

"Where are we going to run?" he hissed back.

Amy had to concede his point when she saw something pink out of the corner of her eye. She nudged Rory and pointed towards it. "The Rutans are here. Once they come out and start fighting, run to the pink flag," she whispered.

"SHOW YOURSELVES, RUTAN SCUM!" Styx shouted as the Sontarans picked up their chant of 'SONTAR-HA!"

"Now!" Amy yelled as the Rutans descended from their hiding places around the chamber. Amy and Rory ran towards the pink flag and were surprised to find a narrow passageway just out of sight. They entered it and found the Doctor and Rose crouching inside, who put a finger to their lips, asking them to be quiet.

In the chamber, it was chaos as the Sontarans and the Rutans battled it out. The Sontarans had good weapons but the Rutans could change their shape and create shields and better defensive tactics. Neither race was particularly interested in the human hostages that they had taken, nor were they concerned about the Heleonic segment for which this whole thing had been about.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE," Styx was yelling as he fired bolt after bolt.

The numbers were falling in equal measures on both sides and each side had summoned more forces from their respective ships. From their hiding place, the Doctor drew out the core to the Key to Time and pointed it towards the chamber.

It was pointing to a large red crystal encased in a transparent cube, hanging from the ceiling. "How are we going to get that?" murmured Amy.

Below the segment, the Sontarans and Rutans were fighting violently. "Hang on," said Rory. "I just want to try something."

Before anyone could stop him, he emerged out of their hiding place and picked up the makeshift pink flag that the Doctor had used to draw their attention. The Sontarans and Rutans paid him no mind as he kept his back to the chamber's walls and walked around the fighting. The segment was still glowing lazily as Rory tore off the shirt from the end of the 'flag' and used the metal rod to loop around the wiring holding the segment up.

Being mindful of the fighting factions, he tilted it towards himself and with a final tug, the crystal flew through the air, landing in his hands. He looked around quickly but the two clone races were completely unaware of his theft. He started to move back towards the hiding place where the Doctor, Rose and Amy were. He was almost there when Styx gave a roar.

"THE SEGMENT!" he screamed and even the Rutans stopped fighting. "The human scum have taken the segment."

Rory broke into a run after the Doctor, Rose and Amy through the narrow passageway. The Doctor was in the lead and he seemed to have some idea of where they were going. They heard sounds of pursuit behind them but it appeared that some of the Sontarans had got stuck in the narrow passageway and the Rutans who could have fitted more easily were busy fighting those caught Sontarans.

As they ran, they heard a loud explosion behind them and Rory ran into Amy's back with a painful wince. "Why'd you stop?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"Ssh," ordered the Doctor sharply. "Listen."

The four of them were quiet for a moment before Rose broke the silence. "Listen to what?" she asked.

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "It's gone quiet."

"So?" asked Rory. "We heard an explosion. Maybe one of the clone races decided to detonate a bomb."

The Doctor looked past Amy and Rose, and nodded at Rory. "Yes, that seems likely," he said. He tilted his head at Rory and walked towards him slowly. "Give me the segment, Rory."

Rory's grip tightened on the segment. "I can hold onto it," he said.

"I would prefer if I had it," said the Doctor in the same cautious tone.

"Doc, chill out," said Amy. "Rory will look after it."

The Doctor ignored her. "Rory," he prompted.

"No," said Rory, holding the segment away from the Doctor. "I mustn't give this to you."

"Rory, what're you on about?" Rose asked, confused.

"I have to keep this safe," said Rory, holding the crystal close as if it were a precious child.

"What's wrong with him, Doc?" Amy asked, looking scared.

"Rory, listen to me," said the Doctor, in a serious voice. "We are coming for you, Rory. We will find you. Tell the Vardans that. The Doctor is coming."

"Doc, what is going on?" Amy demanded, almost hysterical at this point.

"I am so sorry, Rory," said the Doctor and pointed the sonic screwdriver at Rory's head.

Rory screamed loudly in pain as he started to flicker in and out of existence. His body vanished completely, leaving a silhouette of a papery silver frame. It fluttered angrily at them before dissipating completely.

Over on the Vardan ship, Rory's eyes snapped open and he realised just how many scanners he was attached to. He looked up and saw several of the silver papery figures rustling and muttering amongst themselves.

He had to strain his ears to hear some of the words but he finally understood the gist of what they were saying.

"The Doctor has killed one of the Vardans we sent in as an impostor for the human male."

"He has threatened to attack."

"Prepare our defences."

"Put the human male in stasis."

"The Doctor must not be allowed to defeat the Vardans again."

"This time we shall be avenged."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 3. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what did you think? I did say that they were known aliens attached to the Sontarans. For those of you confused, the Vardans were seen in 'The Invasion of Time'. The next chapter will explain exactly how Rory and the Vardans were linked. Be mindful that this is nothing like "The Flesh" we saw in Series 6.**

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of this one. The final part will see the Doctor, Rose and Amy launching a rescue for Rory. Let's see how that goes. It will be up soon.**

**~ Phoenix**


	16. The Clone Wars: Mind Games

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the awesome welcome back. I have finally got this story back on schedule. I have finals coming up but I am going to try and update regularly.**

**Anyway, here is the final part of 'The Clone Wars'. The Doctor, Amy and Rose launch a rescue to save Rory from the Vardans. Some past information, especially from 'The Invasion of Time'. Seriously, one of the best DW stories ever.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Clone Wars: Mind Games**

_Previously_

_Over on the Vardan ship, Rory's eyes snapped open and he realised just how many scanners he was attached to. He looked up and saw several of the silver papery figures rustling and muttering amongst themselves._

_He had to strain his ears to hear some of the words but he finally understood the gist of what they were saying._

_"The Doctor has killed one of the Vardans we sent in as an impostor for the human male."_

_"He has threatened to attack."_

_"Prepare our defences."_

_"Put the human male in stasis."_

_"The Doctor must not be allowed to defeat the Vardans again."_

_"This time we shall be avenged."_

"What…" Amy was staring at the empty space where Rory had been, with a bewildered look on her face. "What happened?" she asked in a low voice.

"It wasn't Rory," said the Doctor gently, patting her shoulder.

"No," said Amy, shaking her head. "I was talking to him. It was him…it had to be him."

The Doctor tilted her chin up and met her eyes. "The Vardans had connected their scanners to Rory's brain which was why they could replicate his reactions," he explained. "Amy, we will find Rory."

"Who are these Vardans anyway?" Rose asked, rubbing Amy's shoulder in comfort.

"They are telepathic beings," said the Doctor with a grimace. "They can travel on whichever wavelength they want but they generally prefer the silver waveform that we saw just now."

"And they have Rory? Since when?" asked Rose.

"Up on the plateau when we were being fired at," Amy realised. "I lost sight of him in the chaos and he came out of nowhere and grabbed my arm."

"They must have taken him and replaced him with a double," nodded the Doctor. "Good news is, he is alive."

"What's the bad news?" asked Rose, with a growing sense of dread.

"I can't remember how to fight Vardans," admitted the Doctor. "That part of my memory is suspiciously blank."

* * *

"Can you get an accurate reading on the thought patterns of the Doctor and his companions?"

"No, the catacombs have lead deposits. It is making it harder to use telepathy on them."

"What about the male?"

"He has been put in stasis."

"Good, then we shall wait."

"Wait?"

"The Doctor will be bound by honour to come in search of his companions."

"Bait and trap. Excellent."

* * *

"Is it safe to do this here?" Rose asked as they sat down in the clearing further down the passageway. It was a cramped space and did not give them much of a chance to move. When all three of them were sitting down, their knees were bumping with each other's.

"The Vardans faltered only when Rory walked into this passageway with us," said the Doctor briskly. He was now wearing his coat over his bare torso and the bandages were almost white. "There must be something about this place that disturbs the Vardans' telepathy. We can use this to our advantage."

"What exactly are we doing?" asked Amy, fidgeting impatiently. "Shouldn't we be marching into the Vardan ship and demand them to release him?"

"Without knowing anything about them?" asked the Doctor dryly. "You know better, Amy."

Amy gave a grudging nod. "Fine, explain it again," she conceded.

"Recalling suppressed memories can be a tricky process," said the Doctor. "Especially in this regeneration of mine."

"Why?" asked Amy.

"He's more telepathic in this one," explained Rose.

"Yes," nodded the Doctor. "Also, I have had a lot of trouble with my memory in this body. Not to mention the incident with the trap in the Eye of Harmony." Amy opened her mouth, probably to ask about the Eye of Harmony when Rose beat her to it.

"I got to meet all 7 of the Doctors before him," she said and then turned to the Doctor. "How are Amy and I supposed to help?"

"You two are going to enter my mind," he said in a grave tone. "Understand very clearly that this is very dangerous. I would not hold it against you if you don't want to."

"Just tell us what to do, Doc," snapped Amy as Rose gave a determined nod.

The Doctor looked at both of them and then nodded. "Once you are in my mind, you are going to help me open the doors of the suppressed memory. The reason that I can't do it on my own is that my mind will reject my efforts."

"So we are going to be your encouragement?" asked Amy. She understood telepathy a bit better since humans had started dabbling in mind arts by her time.

"Good way of putting it," said the Doctor with a small smile. "Yes, you two are going to encourage me to open that door. I will resist and rebel but you have to make me open it. Understand?"

Amy and Rose nodded in determination and the Doctor placed one hand against Rose's temple and the other against Amy's. "Follow the orange light," he said, gently guiding them into his mind.

The two of them did as he told them and slowly, they could see themselves walking down a dark corridor until they came to a door through the orange haze. It was a heavily guarded door with locks of all shapes and forms on it.

They exchanged a quick look before Rose thought. _Open up, Doctor. It's us._

For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened but then the elaborate door melted away, leaving a plain white door in its place. Amy pushed it open and the two girls were almost startled out of the contact due to the loud voices permeating the air.

_One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxiety. Just go forward in your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine…_

_You can't rewrite history. Not one line._

_Perhaps I should go back. Back to my own planet._

_There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything that we believe in. They must be fought._

_People spend all their time making nice things and then other people come along and break them._

_Free will is not an illusion after all._

_Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway._

_A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting._

_Homo sapiens. What an inventive, invincible species._

_Do I have the right? Simply touch one wire against the other, and it's it? The Daleks cease to exist?_

_The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views._

"We have to keep moving," hissed Rose as she heard the Fourth Doctor's voice. It seemed like they were getting snatches of conversations from the different Doctors and they had to go on before they got lost in the chatter.

Amy was fascinated. She had known about regeneration and that the Doctor had regenerated several times but to hear four different voices with the same man's wisdom was an astonishing experience. She would have loved to stay and listen to the Doctors who came after that but Rose was right. They had to get this done.

"This way," said Amy, pointing to the orange haze which was moving in a labyrinth closer to the Fourth Doctor's voice.

Amy and Rose followed the haze and they came upon a door that was locked tighter than the first heavily guarded door. This door looked impenetrable.

"Doctor, you have to open the door," said Rose. The orange haze darkened to a red but nothing happened. "Please, Doctor."

"No…" came a disembodied voice that sounded like an echo of all the Doctors, future and past, refusing.

Amy knocked on the door. "Doc, you gotta open up," she said. "Rory will die if we don't save him."

The red lightened to an amber but the door still wouldn't open. Rose patted the door, willing with all her might that he would listen. "Doctor, please, we have to know what happened. We have to know if there is a way to defeat the Vardans…we have to…."

"Rose," interrupted Amy, pointing to the door which was turning into a white door. As it became clearer, they saw a figure eight signet on the door.

"The Seal of Rassilon," said Rose and then opened the door.

A rush of sound and images floated through the door, too fast for Amy and Rose to register though they did catch words like Gallifrey, Leela, Andred, Borusa, Rassilon, Vardans and Sontarans. And suddenly, they were back in that narrow passageway on Maxim Beta.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Rose asked, as she saw the Doctor clutching his head.

"Yes," he answered and looked up slowly. "I know what we have to do."

* * *

"It has been quite a while. Perhaps the Doctor has given up any hopes of saving the human male."

"DO NOT underestimate him. We underestimated him once and were nearly destroyed by the time loop that he caught us in."

"Understood. We will continue scanning."

It was silent for a few moments as the Vardans continued to scan the asteroid for telepathic waves.

"We are receiving brain waves compatible with the physiology of the Time Lords."

"Excellent. He has taken the bait."

"Correction. The waves are getting weaker. He is heading towards his craft."

"He has decided to abandon the male? No matter. We shall follow him into his time capsule. Get rid of the human male."

"Oh hello," came a cheerful voice and the Vardans were nearly shocked out of their telepathic waves as the Doctor smiled at them. Somehow, he had got past their ship's defences and into the main control room without anyone noticing.

"Impossible," hissed the Chief Vardan.

"His brain waves still show their presence near his craft," butted in another Vardan with shock.

"Really?" asked the Doctor in mock-confusion. "My mind must have got away from me then." He laughed at his own joke, pretending not to notice the hostile looks he was receiving.

"You betrayed us, Doctor," snarled the Chief Vardan. "The insult must be avenged."

"Yes, I understand," said the Doctor, pacing leisurely in the control room of the Vardan ship. "But you see, until a few minutes ago, I had no memory of what I had done to warrant your anger. And I have to say, now that I know, it makes no difference. You wished to use me as a puppet to rule Gallifrey and you were thwarted. Betrayed by the Sontarans too, as I recall."

"The Sontarans have been destroyed," said the Chief sounding a tad smug. "Undoubtedly they will grow their clones again but they have suffered a setback. Our grievance is with you, Doctor. Now, you will die."

* * *

"Now?" asked Rose, tossing the newly revealed fourth segment of the Key between her hands.

"Not yet," said Amy as they watched the scanner. "They bought the ruse, didn't they?"

"Yeah," said Rose, tossing the segment aside, before picking up the contraption that they had used to mislead the Vardans. Their recent jaunt in the Doctor's mind had left them both with a slight headache and the Doctor had given them a device to magnify the residual brain waves resembling his, which would trick the Vardans into thinking the Doctor was in the TARDIS while he snuck onto their ship.

"He has to give the signal soon," said Amy, her hand poised over the lever that the Doctor had told them about.

"He won't give the signal if he doesn't see Rory," said Rose, biting her thumb in worry. "How long do we wait?"

Amy met her eyes. "As long as it takes?"

Rose nodded back determinedly. "As long as it takes."

* * *

Over on the Vardan ship, the Doctor was being strapped onto a flat surface. Rory was lying on a similar thing next to him but he appeared to be unconscious. The Doctor strongly suspected that he had been put in a stasis state.

"Before we end your life, Time Lord, all your secrets shall be ours," declared the Chief.

"Fine," said the Doctor dryly. "Just make sure you are prepared for them. Because I must warn you, my mind isn't the easiest place to be. Over a thousand years' worth of memories, you understand. Every life I took, every suffering I ever witnessed, every planet I saw die, every star I saw perish, every civilisation I saw fall, every friend I ever lost, every moment of pain I felt…EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT. All of it. Up until this very moment. Right until NOW!"

Over on the TARDIS, Amy heard the word 'now' and pulled the lever. The sonic screwdriver in the Doctor's coat pocket lit up and emitted a sonic wave so high that it was nearly impossible to hear. But for every Vardan, it was the agony of the worst kind. Brain waves could be modulated and scrambled with a proper beam and conductor. The beam came from the TARDIS and the screwdriver was the conductor as the sonic wave pulsed through the air, scrambling the telepathic nerves of the Vardans.

They dematerialised slowly, screaming in agony the whole time. It was all over rather quickly yet the screams continued to echo for a while in the silence. The Doctor felt heaviness in his hearts at the murder he had just committed and he stayed unmoving until Rose and Amy ran into the Vardan ship.

"Doctor!" Rose ran to him as Amy set about removing Rory from the stasis state. "Thank god," she murmured as she got him free and threw her arms around him.

The Doctor hugged her back, grateful for her presence. He knew that he didn't have a choice. The Vardans were dangerous, even to Time Lords. It was his duty to stop them; he had done his duty, yet he felt pain at having to end the lives of such an intelligent species. There were undoubtedly more Vardans on their planet, perhaps still trapped in the time loop from years ago. The few that had been here had to have escaped from it in the first place.

He felt Rose kiss his forehead before hugging him tightly again and he felt the guilt begin to loosen. He pressed his lips against her hair, and realised that he would forgive himself in time. For now, her forgiveness was enough.

* * *

Rory felt like he had the worst hangover in years when he woke up strapped to a cold table. He spotted a flash of red and smiled. "Amy…"

"Hey," she said and his gaze focused to find her smiling face. "I'll get you down in a minute."

He nodded and tried to make the world stop spinning. He felt the restraints loosen and he nearly lost his balance but Amy grasped his arms, steadying him. "Hi," he said, opening his eyes and feeling the world almost tilt.

Instead of answering, Amy kissed both of his cheeks twice before hugging him tightly. Rory was frozen at the actions and when Amy released him, he stared at her with wide eyes. "Can you tell me what I did?" he asked her finally. "For future reference?"

Amy laughed and it looked like she was about to kiss him when the Vardan ship gave a lurch. Next to them, the Doctor and Rose snapped out of their embrace. "The sonic wave," the Doctor realised. "It has upset the planet next doors I think."

Rose looked at him with a wide smile. "Run?" she asked cheekily.

The Doctor laughed and met Amy and Rory's eyes. "Run," he agreed.

And so they all did. All the way back to the TARDIS.

* * *

**A/N End of story #4 'The Clone Wars'. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what did you think? Grim ending I thought, but the Vardans had it coming. Very annoying aliens. **

**The next story is called 'Terror on Marquessa' and it will also feature an old enemy of the Doctor's. The next few stories are the ones that I am looking forward to the most. They will probably be my favourites.**

**Part 1 will be up soon. See you then! Let me know what you thought of this one.**

**~ Phoenix**


	17. Terror on Marquessa: Lake Indigo

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for the awesome response to the last story. Here we are with story #5 Terror on Marquessa.**

**This chapter is a bit of an interlude before the adventure begins and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Terror on Marquessa: Lake Indigo**

In the depths of the TARDIS, the Doctor was putting together the Key to Time. The transparent cuboid structure was almost finished and there were only two more segments left to complete the structure. The Doctor sighed and set the core next to it.

After their last adventure which had resulted in nearly all of them being injured, the Doctor had been adamant in making his companions take a long rest. For that very purpose, he had got out of bed before Rose had woken up and set the course for Lake Indigo on the yet-uninhabited planet of Cassiopeia in early 22nd century.

The TARDIS had landed long before his companions had woken up and the Doctor had finished up minor repairs in the TARDIS while they filtered into the console room one by one. Upon hearing that they were getting a day of rest and relaxation, the three humans had rushed out of the doors immediately to take in their surroundings.

Cassiopeia was a serene planet with rich natural resources that would be colonised by early-23rd century. Lake Indigo would later become one of its prime spa spots but for now, it was a calm, deep blue lake. It was surrounded by tall, dark green pine trees along its banks which kept the lake mostly shaded from the twin suns overhead. Despite that, the water was a lovely bath water warm along the edges and it got cooler as they waded in deeper. The banks were made of a light blue sand that the Doctor had told them was a result of the mineral deposits from the lake. At slightly alarmed looks from the humans, he had laughed and assured them that they wouldn't come out of the water looking like Smurfs.

He had left them to enjoy the sun and the sights and returned to the TARDIS to assemble the Key. His own injuries had healed but there was still scarring along his torso. He could have used the dermal regenerator to correct it but given the slow healing process of the healing bandages, he hadn't wanted to mix the treatments. Natural healing would take its course and the scars would be not be visible after two more days.

He walked out of the TARDIS to find Amy and Rory chasing each other in the water, screams and exclamations of joy escaping them now and then. He grinned at the sight and then searched the banks for Rose. She was lying in a sunny spot on the light blue sand, sunbathing in her ivory coloured bikini. Upon seeing him, she waved enthusiastically, and the Doctor smiled and walked towards her.

"Having fun?" he asked, taking his coat off and sitting down next to her.

"Are you really going to try and get any sun while wearing a vest and cravat?" she questioned.

Rolling his eyes, he loosened his cravat and tossed it off. Rose grinned at him as he took off the vest and then lay down next to her. "Better?" he asked.

"It's better than nothing," she shrugged, knowing that she would never be able to actually get him to dress properly for a day in the sun. "So, what brought this on?"

He turned on his side, propping his head on one elbow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"A day of R&R," said Rose, waving a hand at their surroundings for emphasis.

"I suppose we all needed it," he said, linking his free hand with hers.

"Your chest still hurt?" she asked in concern.

"No, it's healed," he answered. He surreptitiously inspected her palms and nodded in satisfaction when there was no major scarring on them. When he looked back at her, she was smiling in amusement. "What?" he asked her.

"You worry too much," she told him.

"I don't worry enough," he corrected her seriously. "This quest was thrust upon us with no warning. You and Amy and Rory, you didn't ask for all this. Certainly not the danger that it entailed."

"Doctor, our lives were not really all that safe before the Guardians anyway," said Rose gently. "It's just a part of it all."

The Doctor frowned. "It wasn't all bad, was it?" he asked, his brow wrinkling.

Rose laughed. "Course not," she said. "The danger is part of the fun, Doctor." When he continued to frown, Rose looked curiously at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he murmured distractedly. He smiled at her concern. "I really am. I just wonder if sometimes you really want to be here."

Rose looked confused. "Where else would I be? Back home? Eating chips, folding clothes?"

"Safe," he corrected.

"I thought I already said that danger was part of the fun," protested Rose. "What's got into you today?"

The Doctor sighed and fell back in the sand. "I suppose I am a bit melancholic today," he conceded. "The last time I assembled the Key, Romana and I barely escaped. Romana had to regenerate soon after that. It's a difficult task, that's all."

"And we are through most of it," said Rose, squeezing his hand. "Just two more and then it's back to our usual mad adventures."

The Doctor smiled and raised their linked hands to stroke her cheek. "Yeah," he agreed with a small smile. "I suppose we should visit your mother soon too."

Rose grimaced. "Yeah, she's not happy with me lately," she said. "But it can wait until the Key is assembled. You can take Amy and Rory off for a few days and drop me on Earth for a week or so."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a plan," he nodded and looked towards the lake where Amy and Rory's game was winding down. They were both now floating lazily on the water, talking in hushed voices. "Speaking of plans," said the Doctor in a low voice.

Rose followed his gaze and then looked back at him. "You wanna play matchmaker?" she asked incredulously. The last thing she ever expected was the Doctor bringing it up.

"I can't stand unrequited love," he said firmly.

"Well, we could always lock them in a cupboard on the TARDIS until they confess their feelings," suggested Rose.

The Doctor laughed. "Drastic but effective," he nodded. "But it could be subtler, I expect."

"Like what?" Rose asked. "Should we pass notes?"

The Doctor tickled her bare side and she squealed with laughter as she tried to move away from him. "Nothing quite so juvenile," he said, smiling at her flushed face. "Perhaps things will run their course."

"Can't you know for sure, high and mighty Time Lord?" teased Rose, her tongue touching the side of her mouth.

The Doctor tried to tickle her again but Rose was faster this time and the two of them wrestled playfully in the sand for a while until the Doctor overpowered her and pinned her wrists on either side of her head. "What I was suggesting until I was so deliberately insulted," he began with mock outrage. "Was to let the two of them reach the natural progression of their relationship."

"How long will that take?" Rose asked, slightly breathless as a result of their tussle.

The Doctor stared at her thoughtfully, completely mindful of their close proximity. "It's difficult to say," he answered.

Rose stared wordlessly back at him, searching his eyes to see how far he was going to take this harmless bit of flirting. The Doctor did not look ready to back down. In fact, he was growing increasingly more thoughtful. "What's wrong?" Rose asked finally.

"Sometimes, you scare me, Rose Tyler," he murmured in an almost absent tone.

"Why?" asked Rose, afraid of the answer yet wanting to know either way.

The Doctor sighed and released her wrists. "You were reading a book about Gallifrey's history," he said, lying down on his back and staring at the sky.

Rose turned on her side to look at him. "Yeah," she said. "I only did it 'cos you wouldn't tell me the whole story," she added, slightly defensively.

The Doctor turned his head to gaze at her. "What did you learn?" he asked.

"Not much," Rose shrugged. "Some stuff about the Pythia, Rassilon and Omega. I only read a bit about the Other."

"Why are you so curious about him?" asked the Doctor.

"Why are you so reluctant that I should not know anything about him?" she countered.

"Dangerous questions, Rose," he murmured, looking at the sky again. It appeared it was going to rain later.

"You're still not answering them," said Rose, sitting up and frowning at him.

The Doctor was a quiet for a long moment and Rose was ready to tear her hair out in frustration. She was about to get up and leave when the Doctor spoke softly. "Have you ever had a secret? A secret so terrible that no one could ever know about it?"

Rose frowned as she thought about it. "I suppose so," she agreed. "Some things I went through with Jimmy would qualify for that." The Doctor looked at her in concern but she waved it away. "You were saying," she prompted.

"I have been alive for so long that I have accumulated my fair share of secrets," he confessed. "But there is one secret that…that's everything."

"About the Other?" guessed Rose. "Is that why you can't tell me? You know something about him that has to be kept secret?"

"Yes, and no," he said. "It was the Other's secret. But it is mine to keep as well."

"I don't understand," said Rose.

"Perhaps it is better that you don't," he said seriously. "I don't know why you could activate that defence, Rose. I wish I knew. But every explanation that I have come up with so far has been weaker than the one before it."

"You would tell me if there was something wrong with me, wouldn't you?" asked Rose quietly.

"There's nothing…" he trailed off at a look from Rose. He sighed and nodded. "Yes, I will," he promised.

Rose smiled and bent down to kiss his cheek. "Right then," she murmured, pulling away. "Think I'll go back to the TARDIS. Had enough of the sun."

The Doctor smiled back as she gathered up her towel and things and left in the direction of the TARDIS. He looked at the lake and found Amy and Rory still talking. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he decided to leave them alone and headed towards the TARDIS after Rose.

* * *

"So, you do miss it," Amy was saying to Rory.

"Yeah, sometimes," nodded Rory. "It's been almost three years since I have been anywhere near a proper patient."

Amy smiled at him. "Sorry to hear that," she said.

"What about you?" asked Rory. "Do you miss being a Time Agent? Or a pirate?" he added cheekily.

Amy splashed some water towards him and giggled when he sputtered after receiving a face full of water. "I do miss being a Time Agent sometimes," she confessed. "I got to see a lot of places, met a lot of interesting people. But when the CIA and Time Agency merged, I couldn't stay."

"Yeah, not a big fan of the CIA either," said Rory. "They wanted to wipe my memories the first time I met them."

"The Time Lords have their own brand of flaws," nodded Amy. "The Doctor is different but the CIA is Time Lord dominance at its height. I am still surprised he supported the merger."

"The President is his friend," said Rory. "At least that's what Rose told me. It was her first move as President."

"That explains some of it," agreed Amy. "But I couldn't work with Time Lords. Not even if you paid me. Too many rules and not enough freedom in my opinion. So, I went freelance. It was fun but I do miss having structure to my life."

"Yeah, structure kinda got chucked into space once I started travelling in the TARDIS," said Rory with a chuckle. "Even in Rome, I had a routine of some sort. But now…"

"I know what you mean," murmured Amy. "Think you would have returned to Earth if you had family?"

"Most likely, yeah," he agreed. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I think I would have returned to Nova Scotia if mum and dad were still alive," she said. "My old aunt is a hag though. No way am I seeing her ever again."

"You're from Canada?" asked Rory with some surprise.

Amy laughed. "No, Nova Scotia is in an asteroid belt with different colonies. New Scotland, see? I hadn't been to Earth until I became a Time Agent. But my ancestors came from your Earth."

Rory nodded along to that. He hadn't dared to ask Amy about her family before. It seemed like a sore subject and he could relate to that. A gust of cool wind made them both shiver. "Think it's gonna rain," said Rory, looking at the sky.

"The Doctor and Rose went inside some time ago," said Amy. "Think we should go back too. The next segment awaits."

Rory nodded as they both waded to the shore and climbed out of the water. "Wonder where it will take us this time," he said as he grabbed his towel.

Amy smiled and opened the TARDIS doors. "Wherever or whenever it is, it's going to be fun."

And Rory couldn't help but agree as he followed her into the TARDIS. The Doctor waved at them as they came in. He had already fetched the core and was plugging it into the console.

"Hey," said Rose as she came into the console room, dressed and ready. "Do we have a destination yet?"

There was a beep and the Doctor read the coordinates quickly. "Yes," he answered. "A space base named Marquessa. 47th century."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. A short and sweet beginning to the new story. What did you think?**

**I have been getting questions about how the Series 7 finale will impact this story and to that I will say, that it will not. At all. Not even a little bit. For one, I am quite sure this story would be done before the 50th (when we get the answers) and even if it isn't, there is no way I will tolerate Eight's existence or role being challenged.**

**Let me know what you thought of this one. Part 2 will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	18. Terror on Marquessa: Arrival

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thank you so much for your response to the last chapter. This is Part 2 of 'Terror on Marquessa' and the proper start of the new adventure.**

**At the end of the chapter, I have the face claims for the base crew that you will read about in the chapter. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Terror on Marquessa: Arrival**

_Previously_

_"Hey," said Rose as she came into the console room, dressed and ready. "Do we have a destination yet?"_

_There was a beep and the Doctor read the coordinates quickly. "Yes," he answered. "A space base named Marquessa. 47th century."_

"Never heard of it," said Amy. "Where is it?"

"Milky Way, close to home," said the Doctor with a grin at Rose and Rory. "It's a sanctuary base on Nimbus Prime."

"Is that a planet?" asked Rose.

"Yes," answered the Doctor. "A sanctuary base is used for deep space exploration. The Earth government is most likely trying to determine if it is ideal for colonisation or a mineral-rich planet."

"Isn't 47th century when the Terra-Aresian Cold War took place?" asked Amy.

The Doctor nodded. "But we should be fine. It's been five years since an official truce was enacted by both governments," he said.

"Who are the Aresians?" asked Rory warily.

"Martians," answered the Doctor. "Ares was the Greek equivalent of…"

"God of war, Mars," nodded Rory. "So, little green men?" he asked, only half-joking.

"Well they are green," nodded the Doctor. "But definitely not little. Get dressed, we'll be landing soon." He flicked a lever to direct the flight of the TARDIS while Amy and Rory went inside to change.

"Why was there a Cold War between humans and Martians?" asked Rose curiously.

"The solar flares of the 29th century almost destroyed the Martian race," said the Doctor, without looking up from the controls. "They thrive in a cold environment which made Mars an ideal place for them. But after that, they clashed continually with the Earth government about the sharing of technologies. Both sides started to prepare for war, and the goal was Mutually Assured Destruction. It was only a matter of who would fire the first shot."

"And who fired it?" asked Rose.

"No one," said the Doctor, looking at her with a smile. "It was just a Cold War. Several intergalactic organisations intervened to bring about peace but it is said that a traveller sat down the contingent from Mars and calmed them down."

"A traveller?" Rose asked with a grin.

The Doctor winked at her. "Yep, absolutely anonymous. He was not acting on orders, you see. So he chose not to make his interference public," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "But that was a long time ago. Quite a few lifetimes ago, as a matter of fact."

Rose shook her head, grinning madly. "Only you, Doctor," she said, amused.

"I'll remind you, Miss Tyler, that the alternative was too ghastly to contemplate," he said.

"You don't have to tell me," agreed Rose. "Only thing worse than an actual war is the fear of war. People would have been panicking."

"Economies are unstable, people are frightened and irrational. More likely to lash out," nodded the Doctor.

"It's funny that even after twenty-seven centuries, the effects of a Cold War are the same," said Rose with a sigh.

"That's because human nature is the same," said the Doctor wisely. "People may change over time but instincts are primal, and they function to survive."

"Did you just imply that all humans are primal apes?" asked Rose, raising her eyebrows.

"Well they are," he said and then smiled sheepishly at her angry glare. "It is who they are. Makes them one of the races in the universe who have always managed to surprise me. No other species is as diverse in their nature as humans."

"I think that was a compliment," said Rose, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Hey, waxing philosophical, are we?" Amy asked as she emerged into the console room. "And where's Rory?"

"Right behind you," he answered as he walked in after her. "Have we landed yet?"

"Yes, almost," said the Doctor, as he initiated the landing sequence. The TARDIS engine noises started up as it began to materialise in the new place. The Doctor pulled the handbrake and checked the scanner quickly. "Here we are," he said. "Space Base Marquessa. The year is 4672."

Rose was the closest to the door, so she opened it and stepped out into a poorly lit room. She squinted through the darkness and guessed that it was a storage room guessing from the tightly packed boxes and cargo around it.

"A bit dark, isn't it?" Amy asked as she looked over her shoulder. "Think there'll be a light switch around there."

Rose nodded and navigated her way through the boxes to the far wall. She ran her hand across it blindly and fumbled with the switch when she found it. Instantly, a bright light flooded the storage room.

"It sure is packed," whistled Rory as he walked out of the TARDIS and looked around at the large number of boxes.

"They need all of this," said Amy rationally. "Out here in deep space, you'll be lucky if one transport ship can make it every five years. And judging from this hold, it is still a small crew."

"Eight of them, to be exact," said the Doctor. He had stepped out of the TARDIS last, having been busy getting the core, but he was already studying a holographic screen on one of the walls.

Rose walked up behind him and read the names. "Captain Finley Roswell, First Officer Vena Martin, Medic Demarcus Bentley, Head of Security Calliope Yeo," she read. "Who are the other four?"

"Must be regular personnel," said Amy, having heard their conversation.

The Doctor pressed a command and the screen shifted to reveal the four other names. "Juniper Vargas, Fred Llewellyn, Anne Minton and Yuri West," he read out. "Small crew."

"And very lax on security," commented Rory. "Why hasn't anyone come running to arrest us?"

"That is a good question, Rory," said the Doctor, frowning. "Someone should have…ah…"

"What?" asked Rose.

"We are being watched," he said and pointed at a moving black sphere with a single lens as its 'eye'. "I have seen one of these before," he murmured. "Hello!" he said loudly, waving at the sphere. "Having a ball, are you?"

"Ugh, I can't believe you just said that," said Rose, making a face.

The Doctor grinned at her and back at the sphere. "Hello? Is anyone there? Or am I talking to myself? Again."

His companions shot him amused looks but they all jumped when a loud voice echoed through the room. "State your name, rank and purpose," the male voice ordered.

"Ah, Captain Roswell, I presume," said the Doctor, smiling at the camera. "I'm the Doctor and these are my companions: Rose, Rory and Amy. We were here exploring and accidentally landed our ship in your storage hold."

There was silence on the other end before Captain Roswell spoke again. "Yes, we saw it happen. Quite a trick you got there," he said, heavy sarcasm evident in his voice. "Are you armed?"

The Doctor looked at Amy who rolled her eyes and pulled out her sonic blaster. "Just me," she answered and set it down on one of the boxes, clear in the line of sight of the observers.

The storage room door slid open, the invitation clear. The Doctor grinned brightly at the sphere and started to walk out. "Come on you lot," he called, and the three humans hurried after him.

The corridor outside was lit brightly and had big glass windows along it. "Whoa," gasped Rory. "This place is beautiful."

"Beautiful and deadly," came the Captain's voice and they saw a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark skin and a grim countenance approach them slowly. "I'm Captain Roswell. The one pointing her gun at you is my head of security Calliope Yeo." The four time travellers whirled around to see a woman with dark hair and almond shaped eyes pointing a gun at them, just as the Captain had said. "Put it down, Callie," ordered the Captain.

"Aye, sir," said Callie and lowered her weapon.

"Take them to the conference room. I'll rally the troops and see you there," said the Captain.

"This way," said Callie, nodding down the corridor.

The Doctor nodded politely at the Captain and gestured to his companions to follow. Callie led them down the corridor and they were treated to a glimpse of Nimbus Prime as they walked. The planet outside was lush and green, with trees and shrubs growing on almost every surface.

"What do you think he meant when he said it was deadly?" Rory asked Rose in a low voice.

"Might be poisonous plants or something," shrugged Rose.

"Among other things," said Callie, without turning around. "Here," she added, pressing a button to slide open the door. Inside the room was a long conference table with chairs arranged around it. Four people were already inside: two men and two women. "Meet more of our team," said Callie in a bored voice. "The medic Demarcus Bentley," she pointed at the handsome curly haired man with the sharp jaw. "…this is Yuri West." The other man nodded at the visitors.

"I'm Juniper," said the younger woman with a friendly smile, before Callie could do so. "And this is Anne."

"Well, you already know who we are," said the Doctor with a smile.

"How did you get here?" asked Yuri, looking a bit suspicious. "We didn't see your ship on any of our radars until you were in the storage hold."

"I'm sure the Captain will investigate that, Yuri," said Juniper reassuringly.

"I'm just saying…" shrugged Yuri, looking more distrustful of the unexpected guests. "They could be spies. Could be Aresians."

"You think we are Martians?" Rory asked incredulously.

"Martian spies, maybe," said Yuri, narrowing his eyes.

"Pipe down with your conspiracy theories, Yuri," said the Captain as he walked in with the last two members of the crew. "My second in command, Vena Martin," the Captain introduced, indicating the pretty brunette. "…and this is Fred. He was on duty when your ship arrived."

"I checked and double checked the radar," said Fred in a thick Welsh accent. "No sign of your craft before it landed."

"Yes, the TARDIS is rather special," said the Doctor.

The Captain sighed at the non-answer. "Listen Doctor, you haven't been able to give a straight answer so far to anything we have asked. I have done the courtesy of giving you the benefit of doubt but I'm losing patience," he said squarely.

"Why the hostility?" asked Amy, narrowing her eyes. "Thought this deep into space you'd be eager for company."

"This isn't even the beginning of hostile," snapped Callie, standing up.

"Everyone calm down," said the Doctor in a quiet voice. He looked at the Captain. "You are right, we do owe you an explanation. The TARDIS is my ship and we are travellers. We are freelancers you could say. But we do not mean you harm."

The Captain stared at the Doctor for a long moment and nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "So long as you don't harm my crew or sabotage us, we should get along fine."

The Doctor smiled. "Thank you, Captain. Now, is there any chance of a tour of the base?"

"Juniper, you and Yuri show the Doctor and his friends around," ordered the Captain.

"Why can't Fred do it?" Yuri asked grumpily.

"Fred's on duty and you will not question my orders again," said the Captain firmly, fixing Yuri with a look.

Yuri nodded grumpily. On the other hand, Juniper was far happier to be showing the visitors around. "Come on, this way," she said. "We'll start with the recreation room…"

* * *

Fred Llewellyn was back at his work station. The arrival of the four visitors had come as quite a shock. The last exciting thing in the past month had been the man-eating plant that Anne had discovered on one of their trips onto the planet's surface.

Fred snorted to himself and returned to the controls. He had three more hours before he could go back to his bunk but he was positive that there would be no more incidents during his shift. A boring day as usual. He wondered if the redhead with the Doctor's crew was single. Or the blonde, for that matter.

A proximity beacon lit up, drawing Fred away from his daydreams. He pressed the button for the viewing screen and nearly screamed in surprise when he saw the blips on the radar. Several ships in a fixed formation were approaching the star system really quickly. They were still far off for a proper identification but Fred recognised the formation.

"Captain to bridge. Captain to bridge," he said quickly, flipping on the communicator.

The door slid open behind him and the Captain strode onto the bridge. "What is it, Fred?"

Fred pointed wordlessly at the screen and the Captain went still as a statue as he took in the sight. "Oh God," he murmured. "What's the ETA?"

"At this rate? A day, maybe less," said Fred.

"Sound the alert," the Captain. "Vena, we got a situation," he spoke into his communicator. "Get everyone to the bridge."

"What about the visitors?" asked Vena.

"All of them too," said the Captain. "We have an Aresian invasion on our hand."

* * *

The Doctor sighed in frustration and tucked the core back into his pocket. Nothing on the base had given off a strong signal yet. Yuri was still regarding all of them with suspicion but Juniper was friendly enough as she showed them around.

A loud alarm rang through the corridors and the Doctor looked at Juniper quizzically. "Something wrong?" he inquired politely.

Juniper took out her communicator. "Vargas to bridge. Fred, what's going on?" she asked.

"Junie, you and Yuri need to get here now. Bring the visitors," said Fred, sounding uncharacteristically tense.

"Why?" asked Yuri.

"Captain's orders," said Fred. "Hurry!"

"We better do as he says," said Juniper. "Come on, through here."

"What do you think has happened?" asked Rose.

"I don't know," said the Doctor.

"Any luck with the core?" Amy asked in a quiet voice.

"Not yet," said the Doctor. They passed an exit hatch and the core in his pocket made a faint sound.

Rory looked at the Doctor and then towards the exit hatch. "It's outside?" he asked.

"Appears so," said the Doctor with a frown.

They arrived on the bridge and all thoughts of the Key were driven from the time travellers' mind when they saw the approaching fleet. "Oh dear," murmured the Doctor.

"Who are they?" asked Rory.

"Martians, Aresians, whatever you wanna call them," said Demarcus quietly.

"Or as they call themselves," said the Doctor. "The Ice Warriors."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. Thanks for reading.**

**The base under siege was a common theme back in the 2nd Doctor's era and I wanted to do one of these for a long time. **

**I have face claims for each of the crew member if you wanna get a visual picture. Captain Finley Roswell: Idris Elba; First Officer Vena Martin: Bellamy Young; Medic Demarcus Bentley: Adam Scott; Head of Security Calliope Yeo: Lindsay Price' Personnel - Juniper Vargas: Alexis Bledel, Fred Llewellyn: Iwan Rheon, Anne Minton: Cristin Milioti, Yuri West: Richard Madden.**

**Part 3 will see the base crew and the TARDIS team fight to survive against an Ice Warrior invasion. Bound to be fun. It will be up soon. See ou then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	19. Terror on Marquessa: The Ultimatum

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the response to the last chapter. We crossed 300 reviews to this story. Thank you so much for that.**

**Here is Part 3 of the story and we see the base crew and our team TARDIS implementing defensive strategies. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Terror on Marquessa: The Ultimatum**

_Previously_

_They arrived on the bridge and all thoughts of the Key were driven from the time travellers' mind when they saw the approaching fleet. "Oh dear," murmured the Doctor._

_"Who are they?" asked Rory._

_"Martians, Aresians, whatever you wanna call them," said Demarcus quietly._

_"Or as they call themselves," said the Doctor. "The Ice Warriors."_

**Thirteen hours later**…

"How are we doing?" asked the Captain as he entered the medbay.

Rory looked up from the equipment. "Fine so far," he nodded. "Any word from the others?"

The Captain sighed. "No," he answered. "Where's Bentley?"

"I told him to take a nap," said Rory, rubbing his own eyes tiredly. "Roll up your sleeve please, Captain." The Captain nodded and did as he was told. Rory checked the syringe and carefully injected it into his arm. "That's all done."

"Should keep me going another twelve hours," nodded the Captain as he rolled his sleeve back and stood up. "Thank you, Rory."

"Anytime," he said, giving him a quick smile.

The Captain nodded and left, already trying to get through to Callie via his communicator. Rory picked up his own and pressed the switch. "Hey, it's me," he said.

"How's it going in there?" asked Amy, sounding cheerful despite the underlying tension.

"Quiet," said Rory. "I'm hoping it stays that way. Only Anne to look after." He glanced towards where Anne was hooked to the machines, after suffering from a praxis gas poisoning due to the smoke bomb that had been dropped through the planet's atmosphere. "How're you doing?"

"Alright," she said. "It's been quiet here. Vena and I haven't had a lot to do. The perimeter of the base is still secure and there hasn't been a second attack from the Ice Warriors yet."

"Have the Doctor or Rose been in touch yet?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Not since we lost communication three hours ago. Did the Captain have news?"

"No," said Rory, feeling like a broken record. "He was trying to get to Callie…but I don't think he had luck."

Amy sighed. "Yeah, I figured," she said. "Fred and Yuri are still watching the skies but it seems the ship is just hovering in the airzone. They can blast us apart quicker than you could believe but they are just waiting."

"For what?" asked Rory, feeling the dread in his stomach.

"I don't know," said Amy.

"Knock-knock," said Juniper as she knocked on the open door of the medbay.

"Amy, I'll check in with you later," said Rory as he put the communicator down and stood up. "Hey, how can I help?"

"Is Bent around?" asked Juniper. "I need my shot of Prep."

"I can do that," said Rory, fetching a clean syringe and a vial of the drug. "Bentley is taking a nap. He was working on stabilising Anne for almost an hour."

Juniper nodded, distressed as she looked at Anne's prone form. "I should have gone with her to man the perimeter," she said.

"Hey, it's not your fault," said Rory, injecting the needle into her arm. "We didn't expect the ships to be here this soon."

"Ship," corrected Juniper. "Fred and Yuri have checked and double-checked. The rest of the formation is coming along at a slower pace but this ship must have entered into warp to get here so quickly."

Rory nodded as he gestured for her to roll her sleeve back down. "You will be fine for 12 more hours," he said. "If you start getting fatigued though, come see me."

"Thanks, Rory," said Juniper gratefully. "It's nice of you to help out."

"I'm a nurse. That's what I do," he shrugged.

"And is Amy a guard?" asked Juniper. "She volunteered to man the perimeter with Vena."

"Close enough," nodded Rory with a chuckle.

"So what about the Doctor and Rose? Why did they volunteer to go with Callie to the surface?" asked Juniper.

"Because that is what they do," said Rory, truthfully.

"And what exactly is that?" asked Juniper curiously.

Rory gave a melancholic smile. "Jump into the unknown without caring about themselves."

* * *

"Are the communicators still down?" Rose asked, keeping pressure on Callie's wound.

Callie nodded as she panted slightly. "Yeah," she said. She pressed the button again. "Yeo to base. Come in, please!" There was just static on the other end.

"We must be too far away, or the foliage is blocking the signal," said the Doctor. "Callie, this is going to sting just a bit."

"Aargh," she yelped as the Doctor dropped some disinfectant on her ankle wound.

"Sorry," he said sincerely. "This is the best I can do with the equipment we have."

"I know," nodded Callie, pain still evident on her features. "Damn my lack of foresight."

"You couldn't have predicted a giant tentacled plant grabbing your wrists and ankles," said Rose. "None of the crew have travelled this far from the base yet."

"Yeah, but I should have been on the lookout either way," said Callie, looking pale. "If you two hadn't cut me down as quickly as you did, I would have done a lot worse than a bleeding ankle and dislocated shoulder."

"There," said the Doctor as he finished bandaging her ankle. "Now, the shoulder."

Callie sat up straighter with Rose's help and the Doctor put one hand near the shoulder joint and held her arm with the other. "On three. 1…" He popped the joint back in place and Callie screamed a few choice words that the TARDIS didn't translate.

"I thought…" she panted. "You were going to count to three."

"Better to do it when you are not expecting it," said the Doctor, searching through his coat. He found nothing that could be fashioned into a sling, so he tore his vest off and used it cradle Callie's injured shoulder. "That should hold," he said, tying the knot behind Callie's neck.

"I can't walk though," she said. "You and Rose have to go on without me."

"We are not leaving you here," said Rose, at once.

"You have to," said Callie. "I will start making my way back to the base. It's a mostly downhill journey and I can use a branch as a walking stick."

"It's still too risky," said Rose. "What if you get hurt?"

"Look, we know that I get a comm. signal about half a mile down. I'll signal for help from there," said Callie.

The Doctor looked reluctant but knew that Callie was right. "Alright," he agreed.

"You can't be serious," said Rose, astonished.

"Rose, we have to find the point of origin if we want to activate this planet's defence systems," said the Doctor. Rose didn't look happy as she helped Callie stand. The Doctor gave Callie a sturdy branch to use as a walking stick. "Call for help as soon as you have a signal," he told her seriously.

Callie nodded. "Be careful. Both of you," she said.

"We will," said Rose with a small smile. "You be careful too."

"I'll watch out for grabby plants," she joked as she started to hobble away slowly. "See you soon."

The Doctor and Rose kept an eye on her until she got lost in the foliage and they couldn't see her anymore. "We should keep going," said the Doctor.

Rose sighed and started to climb up the path. "Are you sure it's up this hill?" she asked.

"Yes," said the Doctor. A loud whirring noise emanated from his pocket and he glanced at the core in astonishment.

"Why is that lighting up?" Rose asked.

"We must be close to the segment," he said.

"Do you think it's close to the source?" asked Rose.

"Must be," he said. "Come on."

Rose hurried after him as they both climbed the steep path through the trees. Some of the trees cleared and Rose chanced a quick look down at the valley, a decision she regretted instantly when she was hit with a feeling of vertigo.

"Whoa there," said the Doctor, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," nodded Rose. "Shouldn't have looked down. It's beautiful…but…"

"Yes, quite understandable," said the Doctor, stroking her cheek in comfort. "We must be several miles up from the sea level."

Rose chuckled weakly. "Yeah, trying not to think about that too much," she said. She looked ahead at the path and the sun glinted off something shiny. "What's that?" she asked.

The Doctor followed her gaze and saw the glint too. "Oh," he said, in a voice full of awe. "That, Rose Tyler, is the most beautiful thing in the universe."

Rose looked at him in confusion as the Doctor led her through the thick undergrowth towards the glinting object. It was a transparent sphere about the size of a basketball with golden rims around the circumference. "What is it?" she asked as the Doctor picked it up and looked at it with a look akin to reverence on his face.

"It's a globe," he said.

"I can see that," said Rose.

"No, I mean it's the most important globe there is," he said. "When new star systems are formed, Earth government drops off a handful of these around the new planets."

"What for?" asked Rose.

"Terraforming," said the Doctor with a wide grin. "Some of these globes create a land worthy of colonisation and this is what this beauty here has done."

"All this?" asked Rose, waving at the thick, lush greenery around them. "Came from that?" she asked, pointing at the small globe.

"Indeed it did," said the Doctor. "Quite a miracle it has done. The terraforming has been successful, all thanks to this."

"How does this help us now?" asked Rose.

"Not directly it doesn't," said the Doctor, setting the globe down. "But if the globe was dropped here then the origin must be close by. Hang on," he said, looking at a small clearing through the foliage. "I think there's a cave here."

"Doctor, wait," Rose called as she hurried after him. "Doctor?" There was no sign of him. "Doctor!"

Her own voice echoed back at her, as she found herself quite alone in the thick forest on the hill.

* * *

"Rory!"

Rory jerked awake and answered his communicator. "Hey, what happened?"

"Callie got in touch. She's heading back but she is injured," said Amy.

"What about the Doctor and Rose?" he asked frantically.

"They're fine. They just kept moving. Vena and I are meeting her halfway. Do you wanna come along?" she asked.

"Yeah, give me a second to pack some supplies," he said.

"Alright, meet me up front in five minutes," she said and buzzed off.

Rory took a bag and dropped essential supplies into it. He woke Bentley and told him to keep an eye on Anne and the medbay, and left to meet Amy and Vena outside the base. "Hey," he greeted. "Which way?"

"West," said Vena. "Come on."

Rory kept a brisk pace as he followed Amy and Vena through the trees and growth. This planet was fascinating. It reminded him of the Amazon, except it was slightly cooler here. He glanced at Amy and saw her lips quirked in delight, despite the grave situation that they were in. Working like this just felt so natural.

They heard a rustling through the bushes and Vena put up a hand to bring them to a stop. Amy kept her gun trained towards the bush while Vena went forward slowly and moved the shrubbery out of the way.

"Just me," said Callie, looking exhausted but not seriously injured. Nevertheless, Rory ran to her and quickly assessed her injuries with a medical scanner. "Okay, so do you want me treat you here or can you wait until we are back at the medbay?" he asked.

"Medbay will be fine," she said. "The Doctor did a good job of patching me up."

Rory nodded and slung her uninjured arm over his shoulder. "Lean on me as much as you want," he told her.

Callie looked relieved as she used Rory for support. The four of them arrived at the base and Rory immediately helped Callie into the medbay. Bentley was already waiting and between the two of them, they had Callie patched up and resting within minutes.

"Amy, Vena!" called Bentley. "When was the last time you two took Prep?"

"Ten hours ago," said Vena, and Amy nodded the same.

"I'll still give you one now," he said. "Amy, if you are more comfortable with Rory…"

"Yeah," she nodded and gave Rory a smile. He indicated the seat and Amy sat down and took off her jacket before rolling up her shirt sleeves.

"This won't hurt much," he promised as he filled up the syringe and quickly injected her. Amy winced lightly and Rory apologised quietly as he took the syringe back out. "All done."

"Thanks," smiled Amy, as she put her jacket back on. "You really miss this, don't you?" she asked in a low voice.

Rory nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I do."

Amy smiled understandingly but the moment was interrupted as it suddenly went dark outside. "What's going on?" Bentley asked, alarmed.

"Earthlingssss." A chilling, throaty voice echoed from the skies, magnified several times.

"The Ice Warriors," Vena said, looking terrified.

"You have one chanccce to ssssurender. Lower your defenccccessss and we will show merccccccy. You have until the new rotation ccccycle of thisss planet before the Ice Warriorssss will launch an offenssssive attack."

The voice went quiet and the darkness dissipated, leaving the evening sky as before. The base was deathly silent before the Captain's voice came over the PA system. "All personnel to Bridge. At once."

"What was that?" Rory asked as they hurried towards the bridge.

Amy frowned grimly. "An ultimatum. And we have until the morning to decide."

* * *

Rose had heard the ultimatum too but she was much too concerned about the Doctor right now. She couldn't understand where he had gone off to.

"Doctor!" she called again, trying to look for the cave that he said he had found.

A cold sharp claw bit into her side and Rose screamed in pain as a tall, intimidating alien came in sight. It was wearing hard, green armour and had big orange guards over its eyes.

"Come with usssss," it hissed.

A second alien grabbed her other arm with its claw like hand and pulled her through the trees. A slab of rock slid open, revealing a cave inside. Rose watched with wide eyes as she saw a second door through the cave, this one made of metal.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, trying to struggle but not being able to move too much without hurting herself severely.

"You are our prissssoner," hissed one of them as it touched the claw to an opening mechanism towards the door. The door opened slowly and Rose had to squint because of the bright, flashy lights of the inside of a spaceship.

"What?" Rose wondered, confused by what she was seeing.

"About sums up what I was thinking," she heard the Doctor say, from where he was being held captive. "Have you met the Ice Warriors, Rose?"

"Yeah," said Rose, trying not to grimace in pain. "Can't say I care much for their hospitality."

"Neither can I," said the Doctor.

"Sssssilenccccce," hissed one of the Ice Warriors. "Resssstrain the Earthling."

Rose tried to struggle again but the Doctor shook his head subtly as she was restrained in a chair just like the Doctor's.

"Open communication to basssssse Marquessssssa," hissed the one that was definitely the leader. "Thisssss time, we have hossstagesssss."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 3. Thank you for reading.**

**If you are confused by the 'ssssss' sounds, have a quick look at the classic!Ice Warriors. They really did sound like that. **

**The next part will see them trying to defeat the Ice Warriors as well as figuring out what the hell they were doing hiding in a secret cave. It will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	20. Terror on Marquessa: Farewell

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the response on the last chapter. Here is the final chapter of 'Terror on Marquessa'. I just want to say that this story was always going to end this way.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Terror on Marquessa: Farewell**

_Previously_

_The base was deathly silent before the Captain's voice came over the PA system. "All personnel to Bridge. At once."_

_"What was that?" Rory asked as they hurried towards the bridge._

_Amy frowned grimly. "An ultimatum. And we have until the morning to decide."_

oOo

_Rose tried to struggle again but the Doctor shook his head subtly as she was restrained in a chair just like the Doctor's._

_"Open communication to basssssse Marquessssssa," hissed the one that was definitely the leader. "Thisssss time, we have hossstagesssss."_

"I don't understand," Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"It is quite simple, I'm afraid," he said. "Have you ever heard the term 'sleeper cells'?"

"No," said Rose.

"During the Cold War between the USA and the USSR on Earth, it was said that each of the countries smuggled in secretly trained agents who would integrate themselves into the enemy society. When the war would begin, these sleeper agents would become active and attack the countries from within," explained the Doctor in a low voice.

"That sounds like a spy novel," said Rose. "Are you telling me that was actually real?"

"Oh yes, definitely," nodded the Doctor.

Rose nodded slowly. "So, this is an Ice Warrior sleeper cell?" she asked.

"Yes, and it's woken up without having any idea of the war being over," he said.

"Why don't we just tell them?" Rose asked.

"Because as far as they are concerned, we are enemy agents," said the Doctor dryly. "Not exactly reliable."

Rose blew a strand of her hair away from her face in frustration. "We got a plan?" she asked.

"The beginnings of one, anyway," said the Doctor. "It does explain the Ice Warrior fleet heading towards us at any rate."

"They're not here to attack, are they?" Rose guessed. "They are coming for their sleeper agents."

"And unless I can convey this information to both Captain Roswell and the Ice Warrior fleet Commander, I'm afraid we might actually have a war on our hands," said the Doctor.

"So, this ship we are in. Is it the same one as in the atmosphere?" asked Rose.

"I am quite certain that it is the sleeper cell's ship,yes," said the Doctor. "They launched it into the airzone to threaten the base. The cave must have been a secondary transporter room. Do you remember Captain Roswell telling us about the colonists?"

Rose nodded. "Marquessa signalled Earth government that Nimbus Prime was ideal for colonisation so new colonists are on their way already," she recalled. "Last thing those people need is walking into a warzone."

"So you see how crucial it is," said the Doctor.

* * *

"We are now going on the offensive," the Captain was saying when the Ice Warriors added that they now had hostages.

"You can't be serious," said Rory. "They'll kill the Doctor and Rose."

"Their deaths will be regrettable but I have the welfare of everyone else on this base and the incoming colonists to think of," said the Captain firmly.

"The base firepower will never match the Ice Warriors'," snapped Amy. "This plan is full of holes and will not end well."

"I'm open to anything else you might have," said the Captain angrily.

"Let us try and get in touch with the Doctor and Rose," said Amy calmly. "Something here doesn't quite add up. The Doctor and Rose were nowhere near the base but were captured by the Ice Warriors in the ship above us? I mean, please. That makes no sense."

"She's right, Captain," said Vena. "How the hell did just one ship get here so fast? None of this adds up."

The Captain looked between the two women and nodded. "Amy, Rory, if you can contact them…"

"Already on it," said Rory, dialling Rose's phone. It rang three times before turning off. "Three rings," he said.

"That means that there is more going on than meets the eye," said Amy. "We were right."

"You were able to tell that by the phone ring?" asked Juniper.

"Considering the number of times we end up separated and captured, we devised a system," said Rory. His eyes suddenly lit up as he turned to Yuri and Fred. "Can you trace the trajectory of the ship above us? How exactly did it come to the planet?"

"Do it," said the Captain when they looked at him for confirmation.

Fred went over to his terminal and typed rapidly for a few moments. On the big screen, it showed the planet as it had been the day before, and a ship rose from the planet's surface and went into the atmosphere. The base personnel and Amy and Rory were equally gobsmacked.

"It came from the planet," said Vena hoarsely. "They were already here."

"But we scanned for alien life when we set up the base," Bentley put in.

"Not if they were dormant," said Yuri. He was the expert on Aresian history and technology.

"A sleeper cell," realised Juniper.

"So, the oncoming fleet is not an attack fleet," said the Captain.

"That's a relief," said Vena. "How do we convey that to the sleeper agents then? We don't want a territorial war."

"We surrender," said Amy, like it was obvious.

"Are you out of your mind?" demanded Yuri.

Amy rolled her eyes at him. "We decide a meeting place for getting our hostages back. We only need to delay until the fleet gets here."

"Then the Ice Warriors will deal with their own," nodded Fred. "Makes sense."

"How many hours before the fleet gets here?" asked the Captain, nodding slowly.

"Three," said Yuri.

"Fine," said the Captain. "Vena and I will go to meet the sleeper agents."

"Rory and I are coming too," said Amy quickly, looking at Rory.

"Alright then," said the Captain. "Contact the Ice Warriors, Yuri. Tell them we are ready to surrender."

* * *

"The Earthlingssss have agreed to sssssurrender."

"Excccellent," hissed the leader. "Prepare the hosssstagesss."

"They surrendered?" Rose asked the Doctor in a low voice. "That makes no sense."

"Actually, it does," said the Doctor, a contemplative smile on his face. "That system with your phones was a stroke of genius, I must say."

Rose grinned at the praise. "Rory and I came up with it," she said. She lowered her voice. "What about the segment?"

"I have some idea what it might have been," said the Doctor. "If, and I repeat if, we are very lucky, things will happen just as planned and then we can get the segment."

Before Rose could ask him what he was on about, the restraints that bound their wrists sprang open. Rose winced as she rubbed her sore wrists and she was sure that she had sprained something when she had twisted her body in a weird way while cutting off Rory's call. The Doctor helped her up and kept a steadying hand at her back as they walked out with the Ice Warriors.

There had been a total of five Ice Warriors on the sleeper ship and all of them accompanied the two hostages as they were led to a transporter room, this one much bigger than the small room in the cave.

"Sssstand ssstill for teleportation," hissed the Ice Warriors.

"What telepo…" Rose began but felt a silver-blue energy around herself accompanied by a feeling of dizziness. Her knees went weak and she would have fallen if the Doctor hadn't grasped her arm. She looked around and realised that they were only a few yards away from Marquessa.

"Long distance teleportation," explained the Doctor. "You wouldn't even have felt the one in the cave."

"Move," hissed the Ice Warriors before Rose could do more than nod.

"Nice shortcut we took," commented Rose as they walked towards the base. "Saved us a walk."

"The planet is a bit too warm for their taste," said the Doctor. "They would have loathed the walk."

"Why do they want it then?" asked Rose.

"They don't," answered the Doctor shortly. "They just want to chase the Earthlings out."

Rose thought that sounded rather childish but had long ago learned that most wars were started over issues so trivial that they bordered on silly. It was things which followed that made them so much worse.

They arrived into the empty expanse in front of the Marquessa base and saw Captain Roswell and Vena emerge from the base, followed by Amy and Rory.

"Greetings," said the Captain, looking quite cool despite the tension in the air.

"We have your total ssssurrender?" asked the Ice Warrior sleeper leader.

"Not until you release our hostages," said the Captain.

The Ice Warrior nodded at his comrades and the Doctor and Rose began to walk towards the humans. The Doctor was beaming at Amy and Rory proudly as they reached them. "Well done," he whispered to them.

"Just one more thing," said the Captain. "Someone wants a word with you."

A bright beacon in the sky lit up and a massive Ice Warrior ship descended into the airzone. "What isss thissss?" demanded the sleeper cell leader.

"Commander Sskor," came the voice from the ship. "This is Commander Skaldak of the Aresian Elite Contingent. The conflict with the Earthlingssss has been ressssolved. You are now ordered to accompany ussss back to Marsss."

Sskor's disbelief was palpable as the silver-blue teleport energy surrounded him and his comrades. The Ice Warriors were beamed back up to the ship in a matter of seconds. Commander Skaldak's voice echoed once again over the planet.

"Base Captain Roswell, the Aresian nation sends their apologiesss for this mishap. We wish you the best for colonisation."

With those words, the massive Ice Warrior ship rose up into the atmosphere with the smaller ship in tow. In moments, it was lost to space. The Doctor beamed at the slightly gobsmacked humans. "Well," he said. "That worked out well."

* * *

The next few hours were spent with cleaning up. Rory had his patients to look after with Bentley's help, and Amy was helping Vena and Juniper secure the premises and the surrounding areas from any stray technology.

The Doctor and Rose had trekked back to the clearing with the terraforming globe. The Doctor had to only touch it with the core and it was transformed back into the segment of the Key. They returned to the base before nightfall, where Fred and a freshly-healed Anne had planned a celebratory party for all of them.

There were plenty of drinks and dancing as the crew and the Doctor and his companions celebrated their victory and the impending arrival of new colonists. Captain Roswell would be the first governor of the new colony and the base personnel would become one of the first citizens of Nimbus Prime. The celebration went on till early hours of the morning before everyone trudged to bed. The guests were generously offered spare rooms, an offer that they took their hosts up on.

Come morning, Rose woke up and nudged the Doctor awake. It was a testament to how tired they all had been that the Doctor had stayed asleep for just as long as her. They met Amy, Rory and most of the crew for breakfast. A few minutes of idle chit-chat later, the crew all left to their jobs, leaving the guests alone.

"Right then," said the Doctor. "Time we were off."

There was a pause before Rory spoke. "I'm not coming," he said quietly.

"What?" asked Rose, shocked.

"I'm more of use here," said Rory, looking earnestly at them. "They need to rebuild the base and the colonists arrive in a few weeks. They need another medic."

"Rory, do you understand what you are saying?" the Doctor asked gently.

Rory nodded firmly. "Working on these patients today made me realise how much I miss being a nurse," he said. "I have loved travelling with you, but I think it's time I put my skills to use. Helping people is what I am good at."

The Doctor beamed proudly at him and clapped his shoulder. "Oh, Rory," he said and then gave him a bear hug. "You will be a wonderful medic."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Rory, smiling at him. "Rose?"

Rose had tears in her eyes as she nodded and threw her arms around Rory. "I will miss you so much," she said.

"I'll miss you too," he said, tightening his hold on her.

Rose sniffed as she pulled away and kissed his cheek. "Keep that phone of yours free for occasional calls," she said.

"I promise," he said, wiping her tears off with his thumb. He looked at Amy, who still looked a bit shell-shocked. "Amy, I…"

Amy responded by walking up to him and pulling him into a fierce kiss. Rory did not hesitate in returning the kiss, knowing that this was probably the last time he would get to do that. Amy pulled away and beamed at him before turning to the Doctor and Rose. "I am staying with him," she announced.

The Doctor did not look surprised. "Base security?" he guessed.

Amy nodded firmly. "I know we are bailing out on you two but Rory's right. We are both skilled and we can help here," she said. "Besides," she added, looking lovingly at Rory. "Some things are worth more than others."

The Doctor nodded and extended his arms to hug her. Amy laughed and hugged him tightly, and kissed both his cheeks while pulling away. "You will be missed, Amelia Pond," he said.

Amy nodded and held her hand out to Rose. Rose took it and hugged Amy. "Take care of each other," she whispered in her ear. Amy nodded as she pulled away and kissed Rose's cheek.

The four of them went to the storage hold where the TARDIS was parked and Amy and Rory packed up their things from the ship. Captain Roswell seemed delighted upon hearing that he would be getting two skilled employees.

When the last of their stuff was out, the four of them stood quietly near the TARDIS, feeling the inevitable goodbye looming over them.

"Well," said the Doctor as Rory put an arm around Amy. "I suppose I shall wish you both luck."

Amy and Rory chuckled and smiled at each other. "We will keep in touch," said Rory. "My phone has the TARDIS number."

"Call whenever you want," said Rose, still a bit teary-eyed.

The Doctor patted Rory's cheek and Amy's head before turning to Rose. "Rose?"

Rose nodded and slipped her hand into his. "Goodbye, you two," she said, looking back at Amy and Rory.

They waved back as the Doctor and Rose stepped into the TARDIS. The gentle whooshing noise started up. and Amy and Rory were both teary-eyed as they heard the noise of the beloved machine rise into a crescendo before dying down, taking the blue box they had called a home away with it.

Rory turned to look at Amy. "Any regrets?" he asked.

Amy smiled at him and brushed her lips against his. "None whatsoever," she decided.

The young couple smiled at each other and then turned to walk away arm-in-arm. This was the beginning of their forever.

* * *

**A/N End of 'Terror on Marquessa'. And a farewell to Amy Pond and Rory Williams.**

**I know it wasn't a very dramatic or tragic goodbye but I always wanted them to have a nice exit where they would be happy and doing something they liked. Not to mention, completely voluntary.**

**The Doctor and Rose are on their own again and there won't be a new companion for two more stories. But we are reaching the end of the 'Key to Time' arc and the Guardians have been quiet so far. Something to chew on.**

**The next story is called 'The Dalek Factor'. It will feature the return of a familiar face, and no, I don't mean the Daleks. Part 1 will be up soon. Let me know how this one was.**

**~ Phoenix**


	21. The Dalek Factor: Back to Earth

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. Amy and Rory's goodbye was well-received and I could not be more pleased.**

**Here is story #6 The Dalek Factor. I know I promised the return of a familiar face, but it might just be more than one. **

**The song mentioned in this chapter is from the TV movie soundtrack. It's the song being played on the record player at the beginning and the end of Eight's movie. It's on youtube if you wanna listen to it. I would highly recommend it.**

**Link to Rose's dress is on my profile.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Dalek Factor: Back to Earth**

"Rose!" called the Doctor and received no response. He hadn't seen her after the end of the night cycle and he was starting to get a little worried. "Rose?"

He passed the library and finally saw her lying back on a bed of cushions underneath the massive skylight. He made his way over to her quietly, thinking she had fallen asleep but was surprised to see her eyes open and full of tears when he reached her.

"Rose?" he whispered and she looked up at him.

"Hello," she said softly. "Join me?"

The Doctor looked slightly worried as he lay down next to her on the plush cushions. He gazed up at the skylight which was currently displaying the horsehead nebula in all its glory. His eyes wandered back to Rose who was staring at the nebula and had silent tears running down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"This morning I woke up and rushed over to Rory's room without thinking," she answered softly.

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "It's alright. It happens," he said.

Rose turned on her side to look at him. "Is it always like this?" she asked him. "Do people just stop travelling with you one day?"

The Doctor's shoulders drooped as he nodded. "Yes. I have long since learned that farewells were a part of my life," he answered honestly.

"Do you get used to it?" she asked.

He chuckled sadly. "No," he answered. "No matter how many people leave me, or even ones I leave behind, I never get used to them being gone."

"I'm sorry," said Rose and put her arms around his neck in a loose hug.

The Doctor stroked her arm gratefully. "Amy and Rory found something better for themselves. Rory will make an exceptional medic and Amy is a natural born leader. As much as we will both miss them, it was better for them to leave."

"I know," said Rose hastily. "It's just…I miss them, you know."

"And you always will," he said with a smile. He looked at her face, inches from his, and his smile turned impossibly sad. "Even when you are no longer travelling with me."

"That's not gonna happen," she said, without hesitating. "Unless you are thinking of leaving me behind?" she asked, trying to keep her tone as playful as she could.

The Doctor kissed her forehead. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said and smiled tenderly at her. Her returning smile made him happier, so he stood up and pulled her up with him.

"What?" asked Rose as he led her away from the bed of cushions and towards an empty bit of space under the skylight.

"I have an idea," he said. "Stay here. I won't be a minute."

Rose tried to see what he was doing but he disappeared down one of the book aisles. Sighing at his enthusiasm for surprising her, she looked around and waved at Jasper and Stewart who were hanging out in the eaves. She heard the Doctor come back and was surprised to see him wheeling a table with a record player on top of it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, already feeling a wide smile threatening to overtake her face.

He winked at her and lowered the needle onto the record. An unfamiliar song, but being sung in English, drifted around them and the Doctor walked up to Rose and offered his hand. Surprised yet pleased, she took her hand and let him pull her into a waltz.

"What song is this?" she asked, listening to the lyrics and feeling like they might just have been written about her life with the Doctor in mind.

"It's called 'In a Dream'," answered the Doctor as he dipped her expertly and brought her back up. "The artiste, well she was rather enamoured by my TARDIS interior and wrote the song."

"You serious?" asked Rose, her eyes wide.

"As I can be," he agreed and twirled her around. "She met my seventh self, to be precise. It was a fairly unknown singer from the 1990s."

"I've never heard it," said Rose, surprised that it had been around her time.

"I could take you to meet her," he said. "One of the last good jazz singers, I'm afraid."

"What about the final segment?" asked Rose.

"It can wait," he said, swaying them slowly now.

"But it's the last one and we have been on a good streak," said Rose logically. "We can get back to visiting jazz singers after we have the final segment."

The Doctor mock-glared at her. "Fine, if you insist," he said. "You'll like the next destination, I promise."

"Where is it?" asked Rose.

The Doctor grinned. "Earth," he said. "Specifically, the UNIT Christmas Ball in Geneva."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Yes! A chance to wear a dress!" she said, sounding excited.

The Doctor looked a bit confused. "Be a bit conspicuous, wouldn't it?" he asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I meant for me," she said. Then it occurred to her that he had said UNIT. "Will Liz and the Brigadier be there?"

"The Brigadier, yes, but Liz might be on the moonbase already," he said. "It's in 2005 which means we saw them only a few months ago at Halloween."

"But it's been…how long has it been?" asked Rose.

"Let's see," said the Doctor, twirling her away from him and bringing her back. "Almost three years since we met."

Rose's eyes widened. "Seriously?" she asked.

He nodded. "To be more precise, it's been two years, ten months, fifteen…"

"Alright, I believe you," laughed Rose. "Just…it hasn't felt like long. Have I missed my 22nd birthday yet?"

"No, that's in two weeks. I was planning on taking you to New Vegas," he said, smiling at her.

"Can't see how you're gonna top my 21st," she grinned cheekily.

"I admit watching Rory gamble his way through three casino bosses was amusing," said the Doctor reminiscently.

"Still can't believe we didn't end up executed in the Mojave," she giggled. "Anyway, the UNIT Ball sounds like fun. Shame about not getting to see Liz, though. What about Harry?"

"I've no idea, to be honest," said the Doctor. "He is not officially UNIT anymore."

The song came to an end and they both slowed down as well. "Thanks for this," said Rose, nodding towards the record player. "It did cheer me up a bit."

"Splendid," he said. "Now, you go and get dressed up and I shall land us both in Geneva."

Rose saluted him cheekily. "Sir, yes sir," she said and left before the Doctor could come back with a witty retort.

The Doctor shook his head at her antics and started to close the record player, before changing his mind and asking the TARDIS to move it back to the console room. Perhaps he wouldn't mind this becoming a regular activity from now on.

* * *

The ballroom was immaculate, the guests were all here and yet, the woman was fighting off a feeling of dread. Her finely honed instincts were all on red alert and she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. She plucked at the loose sequins on her formal gown and wished for days of bomber jackets and novelty tights.

"Worried about something?"

She turned and smiled at the Brigadier. "No," she said, her answer sounding hollow to her own ears.

The Brigadier registered it too but didn't say anything as he plucked a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and gave it to her. "You could use it, Ms McShane."

She grinned at him gratefully and took the glass. "Don't mind if I do, Brig," she said and raised it to him before taking a sip.

"It couldn't have anything to do with our keynote speaker, would it?" he asked, after a few moments of companionable silence.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Right in one," she said. "Henry van Statten. Even his name just radiates smugness."

The Brigadier hid his chuckle in his glass of brandy. "You haven't met the chap, I presume?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "But I had a very reliable source inform me of his activities. Let's just say, if the governments and UNIT weren't afraid of the technology he has scavenged over the years, he would disappear without a trace."

"It's quite true," confirmed the Brigadier, as they watched the man strut around with his faithful entourage of assistants following him. "But you are neither UNIT nor any government, Ms McShane. Surely, you could deal with him."

"I run a charity, Brigadier," she said, downing her flute of champagne. "My days of going rogue are over."

"I suppose it's for the best," he said. "I would worry incessantly about you if I knew you were going after Henry van Statten."

"Maybe we can sic the Doctor on him," she said, humourlessly.

"Is he going to show this year, do you think?" asked the Brigadier.

"He hasn't ever before," she shrugged. "But considering that I have been on edge all week, he might just turn up."

"I saw him a few months ago during the business with the zombies," said the Brigadier. "Changed his form, had a new assistant."

"That sounds like him," she said. "What was the girl like?"

"Reminded me of you, as a matter of fact," he said. "Only a few years older than you when we first met. Rose Tyler, her name."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "I just hope she is okay," she murmured. "He's changed you said?"

"Yes, younger again," he said. "Very different than the one you knew."

"I'll believe it when I see it," she said, her eyes far away. There was a smattering of applause and the two of them looked up to see Henry van Statten taking the dais for the keynote address. The two of them took a seat at one of the tables and prepared themselves for what was expected to be a dull, self-indulgent speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen," started Henry van Statten. "I know you are all expecting a speech but I have always said that actions speak a lot louder than words. So, without further ado, I present to you: my greatest achievement."

The curtain behind him fell down and a very familiar alien was visible. The eye stalk appraised the deathly silent ballroom before the Dalek looked submissively towards Van Statten.

"I AWAIT ORDERS, MASTER."

* * *

"One day, I am going to make you change into something more appropriate for the 21st century," said Rose as she came out into the console room, dressed to the nines in a blush-coloured dress with her hair and makeup done.

The Doctor winked at her. "Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes," he quoted cheekily.

"Who said that?" she asked.

"Henry David Thoreau," he answered, finishing the post-flight procedures. "Good chap that one. A tad insane, but then all the best people are."

Rose laughed and shook her head. "Trust you to find someone to quote just to avoid changing your clothes," she teased.

"I have no idea what you mean, Miss Tyler," he sniffed and walked over to the doors. "Come along now."

Rose followed him quickly, having opted for flats under her dress as she was sure that some form of running would be involved. They had expected to land in the vicinity of the venue where the Ball was taking place but they were surprised when they found themselves inside a larder.

"Great landing," Rose giggled and the Doctor rolled his eyes at her as he opened the doors, just to come face to face with the kitchen staff.

"Ah, hello!" said the Doctor, smiling at the gobsmacked kitchen staff in a friendly manner. "Sorry about this. My friend and I just snuck in here…to er," he trailed off and looked at Rose for help.

Rose was biting her lip, trying not to laugh. Before she could come up with a vaguely valid response, the head chef chuckled merrily. "Oh don't explain at all, sir," he said. "I remember being that young."

"Yes, quite," said the Doctor, though Rose was almost certain that he hadn't quite caught on to what the head chef was insinuating.

"Could you point us to the ballroom please?" Rose interrupted before things could get any more awkward than they already were.

"Out through this door and up the flight of stairs to your left," said the head chef.

"Thank you," said Rose and then practically pulled the Doctor out of the kitchen. On their way out, they heard the head chef instructing his staff not to use anything from that larder and Rose was as red as her namesake by the time they arrived near the ballroom.

"Rose, slow down, would you?" said the Doctor, running a calming hand over her back as they stopped in the doorway of the ballroom.

Rose nodded and was about to ask him about where the core was pointing when she saw what was on the dais while a man walked among the audience giving a speech. The Doctor followed her horrified gaze and his face went cold.

"That's impossible," said Rose, her voice trembling. "Tell me that's not possible."

"Come on," said the Doctor, his voice rougher than usual as he pulled her towards the other end of the corridor, away from the ballroom. Rose was about to ask what he was doing when she noticed that he was taking her in through the staff entrance that would most likely come out behind the dais.

She quickened her step and they jogged along the corridor until they arrived at an alcove, just next to the door that opened behind the dais. The Doctor was about to open the door when a figure in front of them nudged the door open and slid a silver deodorant can onto the dais which rolled along until it hit the Dalek's base and stopped.

The Doctor's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he pushed Rose against the wall of the alcove and covered her body with his. A loud explosion rang from the dais and Rose clutched the Doctor's arms in shock and fear.

As the explosion continued to ring in their ears, the woman who had slid the deodorant can turned around and beamed at them.

"Hello, Professor."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading.**

**So, did you guess who it is? I mean, apart from the Brigadier and well, Henry van Statten. **

**The lines about the dress: 'It'd be a bit conspicuous' 'I meant for me' were said by the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard in the audio 'Seasons of Fear'. Honestly, one of the most hilarious moments and I just had to use it at least once.**

**Anyway, Part 2 will be up soon and the Dalek and van Statten are not as gone as everyone would like them to be. It will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	22. The Dalek Factor: Henry Van Statten

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. Almost everyone guessed right away who it was and I was so happy that you are as excited as I am to write Ace.**

**This chapter is mostly action and Part 3 will focus more on introspection, and Rose and Ace interacting. For those looking for confrontations, you'll be disappointed. If you think it doesn't make sense, just remember that they have a very big thing in common. Hint: it starts with a 'W' and ends with an 'F' and the letters in the middle may or may not be 'O' and 'L'.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Dalek Factor: Henry Van Statten**

_Previously_

_The Doctor was about to open the door when a figure in front of them nudged the door open and slid a silver deodorant can onto the dais which rolled along until it hit the Dalek's base and stopped._

_The Doctor's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he pushed Rose against the wall of the alcove and covered her body with his. A loud explosion rang from the dais and Rose clutched the Doctor's arms in shock and fear._

_As the explosion continued to ring in their ears, the woman who had slid the deodorant can turned around and beamed at them._

_"Hello, Professor."_

There was chaos in the ballroom but the Doctor's singular focus was on the woman in front of them. "Ace," he whispered, as if he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

Ace's smile was still wide but she was starting to get nervous by the way he was looking at her. The Brigadier hadn't exaggerated when he had said that the Doctor was very different now. "Professor," she said, her tone slightly questioning.

His face burst into a wide smile as he walked up to her in two steps and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Ace!" he grinned, sounding like he had just got the best surprise in the universe. And perhaps he had. He turned around to look at Rose who looked slightly confused, and beckoned her to him quickly. "Rose, this is my Ace. Ace, this is my Rose."

"Hello," said Rose, extending her hand but still a bit unsure as to who the woman was.

Ace was looking at Rose with a slightly taken aback expression as she took her hand. As their hands touched, Rose suddenly felt light-headed, and a memory of the Bad Wolf and Arkytior on Gallifrey rang through her mind._  
_

"Hi," said Ace, shaking her hand and looking at her in puzzlement. "The Brig mentioned you."

"He did?" asked Rose, her eyes lighting up a bit as she put the odd flash of memory away in her mind.

Ace nodded as she looked at her carefully for a moment before turning her attention to the Doctor who was practically buzzing with excitement. "Is the Dalek destroyed?" she asked. "I didn't have my new high-grade stuff. Just an old can of Nitro-9."

The Doctor pushed the door open and saw the slightly blackened exterior of the still-whole Dalek. He grimaced. "It's fine," he grimaced. "Yet it's not attacking anyone."

"Van Statten's done something to it, Professor," said Ace, looking irritated. "It was asking him for orders and he was making it do stuff like recite books and fetch tea."

"What the hell?" asked Rose as the Doctor's nostrils flared in anger.

"I would be very interested to meet Mr. Van Statten then," said the Doctor, his jaw clenched. "Come along, you two."

He slammed the door open and started to walk out onto the dais. Rose and Ace exchanged a quick look before hiking up the skirts of their gowns and following after him. Outside, Van Statten was throwing a fit, screaming at his assistants to find the culprit while the various UNIT personnel were either trying to diffuse the situation or demand an explanation.

"May I have your attention," began the Doctor and just like that the ballroom went silent. "I'm the Doctor."

A pin dropping would have been heard in the room as everyone stared at him with expressions of disbelief and admiration. Henry Van Statten had obviously heard of the Doctor since he immediately strode onto the dais, his hand extended in front of him.

"Henry Van Statten," he introduced himself, his voice self-assured and confident. "Can I just say what a…"

"Ah, you," said the Doctor coldly, cutting him off mid-sentence and ignoring the hand in front of him. "You and I are going to have words about that Dalek over there."

The Dalek in question was unmoving and the eye stalk appeared to be blinking sluggishly, neither of which made sense. Daleks couldn't just be stunned by a small explosive. Henry Van Statten looked furious at the Doctor's dismissal of him and the disapproving tone being used for him as if he was a misbehaving student.

"Now look here," he began blusteringly.

"This should be good," Ace murmured, and Rose heard her and flashed her a quick grin. Ace caught the grin and winked back.

"Brigadier!" called the Doctor, interrupting whatever Van Statten was about to say. "Can we get Mr. Van Statten into custody?"

The Brigadier who had been in the process of calming down various members of the British ministry, raised his eyebrows at the Doctor. Beside him, Van Statten was fuming. Ace quickly jumped in, knowing that the Brigadier couldn't interfere since Van Statten was here at the invitation of UNIT.

"Actually, Professor, shouldn't we deal with the Dalek first?" she interjected.

The Doctor turned around and gave Ace a quick nod. "Fine," he said. "Evacuate the civilians then, Brigadier. Actually, everyone just leave since this is obviously a security threat."

"I am staying right here!" Van Statten stated furiously.

"You do that," said the Doctor patronisingly, without looking at him. He was looking at the still-paralysed Dalek with a magnifying glass and ignoring everyone around himself. "Incredible," he murmured.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"This isn't Skarosian design," he said. He tapped his knuckle against the exterior. "This isn't even proper Dalekanium. More like a mix of Dalekanium and something else."

"Hang on, are you saying that it's not a Dalek?" asked Ace, looking just as surprised as Rose.

"Of course it's a Dalek," snapped Van Statten. "I built it!"

The Doctor glared at him. "Of all the idiotic things I have heard, this takes the cake," he said, looking at Van Statten as if he couldn't believe that someone could be that foolish.

"Why would you ever build a Dalek?" Rose asked.

"Well sweetheart, I wouldn't worry your pretty little head over it," said Van Statten in a condescending tone.

"Watch your tone, sunshine, and answer the question," snapped Ace, glaring at him.

"Ms Dorothy McShane, how nice to see you," said Van Statten with obvious disdain in his voice.

Ace glared at him even more angrily at the use of her full name. "Can't say the same, sorry," she said, her tone slightly mocking. "Now, answer Blossom's question."

Rose stared at her at the use of the odd nickname but it had been said without malice so she let it pass. Henry Van Statten gritted his teeth and looked at the Doctor as he was answering. "I isolated the singular factor that makes a Dalek destructive and constructed new ones without it."

"Which still doesn't answer why," said Rose, crossing her arms.

"I'll say why," said the Doctor, glaring at Van Statten. "Human curiosity and ignorance. Absolutely typical!"

"Great, name-calling already," muttered Rose, rolling her eyes.

"Tell me about it," agreed Ace and the two women shared the same knowing look behind the Doctor's back. "Usually takes him a while to warm up to it."

"It's a Dalek, it's different," said the Doctor, letting them know that he had heard their muttered conversation.

"It's not just one," snapped Van Statten.

The Doctor looked up from his examination of the Dalek and looked at Van Statten in absolute horror. "You made more of these?" he asked.

"A whole batch of them. This was the original one; the first Dalek I took the factor out of. The rest were made in this one's image," he said, unaware of the growing horror in the Doctor, Ace and Rose's minds. "Think of what efficient tools these would make. One of the most intelligent species in the universe, but without their need to kill."

"Where are the rest of them?" asked the Brigadier as he returned into the ballroom, having caught the last part of the conversation. He had two UNIT grunts behind him.

"Why should I tell you?" demanded Van Statten. "You'll only destroy them or break them. Do you know how long it takes to program them as precisely as I have?"

"Mr Van Statten, I don't give a tinker's cuss what you want right now," said the Brigadier, amusing Rose and Ace greatly, along with a curly-haired woman in Van Statten's entourage. "Where are they?"

Van Statten glowered at the Brigadier but seeing as he was outranked in his supporters, he snapped at his entourage. "Goddard!"

The redheaded woman who had smiled before snapped to attention and darted forward. "Yes, sir?"

"Give Brigadier Lethbridge-something long name, the location of the remaining Metaltrons," he said.

"Metaltrons?" Ace asked, raising her eyebrows at the absurd name.

"Thought of it myself," said Van Statten arrogantly. "They are not Daleks anymore."

"We shall see about that," said the Doctor. He had looked furious at everything Van Statten had said and done so far and in all honesty, everyone in that ballroom who knew the Doctor, was just waiting for him to put Van Statten back in his place. "Goddard, was it?" he asked the woman, his tone kinder as he spoke to her.

"Yes sir," she nodded. "Diana Goddard. The remaining Meta…uh, the specimens have been locked in the vault."

The Doctor looked at the Brigadier for an explanation. "There is quite a large vault in the foundations of this venue."

"It's mostly used to store junk, Professor," said Ace, with a slight eye-roll.

"The contents are classified, Ms McShane," said the Brigadier in a long-suffering tone.

"If that's true then their security is rubbish," she said. "Took me minutes to break in."

The Doctor saw the admiring look directed at Ace in Rose's eyes and decided to move quickly before this turned into a situation similar to when Rose and Leela had met. He was positive that Leela had slipped Rose a Janis thorn that she carried with her but he hadn't been able to prove it so far. Last thing he needed was her adding a can of Nitro-9 to the mix.

"Miss Goddard, if you would be kind enough to show the Brigadier and I to the vault and to those _specimens_ of yours," said the Doctor pleasantly.

"Now, listen here…" Van Statten began but the Doctor continued right on as if he couldn't hear him.

"Meanwhile Ace, I want you and Rose to keep Mr Van Statten and the remaining of his people right here," he instructed, looking at the middle-aged man and the young man standing behind Van Statten. "If he kicks up a fuss…"

"Blossom and I will handle him if he does," said Ace, nudging Rose who nodded eagerly.

The Doctor looked slightly unsure about the excited look in their eyes but nodded anyway. "Just don't break him, Ace," he said.

"I would never!" she protested, her face the very picture of innocence.

The Doctor gave her a stern look before turning to the Brigadier. "Come along, Alistair. Let's see what can be done about those _Metaltrons_," he said, making the name sound as ridiculous as he thought it was.

"Jenkins, you stay here and look after Miss Tyler and Ms McShane," the Brigadier instructed one of the UNIT grunts. "Collins, you come with us."

"My security detail stays with me," Van Statten spoke up.

The Doctor saw two uniformed security soldiers behind Van Statten and his assistants, and gave a curt nod. "If they attempt to harm my companions in any way…" said the Doctor.

"I'll keep them safe, sir," Jenkins spoke up eagerly.

The Doctor nodded but then stopped and stared at the young grunt. "Jenkins, what's your first name?" he asked.

"Ross, sir," he said. "Corporal Ross Jenkins."

"Huh, answer question 5 instead of 3 on your exam next month and you'll make Sergeant in no time," advised the Doctor with a knowing smile.

Ross's eyes went wide. "Sir? Yes sir," he nodded eagerly.

The Doctor smiled at him and ignored the exasperated look that the Brigadier sent his way. "On our way then, Brigadier, Miss Goddard," he said. "And Corporal Collins, of course."

They left, and Van Statten began his complaints almost immediately. Something about calling the President and the Prime Minister and the Secretary General which meant that everyone stopped listening to him soon enough.

Ace was still examining the Dalek and Rose was about to go and talk to her when the younger of Van Statten's assistants accosted her. "Hi," he said. "Are you UNIT too?"

Rose shook her head. "I work with the Doctor," she said, with a tight smile. He wasn't bad looking or anything but considering all that she had seen of Van Statten, she had no wish to associate with one of his people.

"I'm Adam," he said, oblivious to her disinterest. "Adam Mitchell. I work for Mr Van Statten."

"Rose," she said shortly but politely.

"So, how did you meet the Doctor? I mean everyone says he is an alien which I don't believe at all. He looks like us, doesn't he?" he asked, looking at Rose as if waiting for her to agree only to see her incredulous look.

"What exactly do you do for Mr Van Statten?" she asked.

"All sorts of things. He recruits geniuses like me from all over the world," he said, obviously wanting to impress her.

"Right," nodded Rose. Over his shoulder, she saw Corporal Jenkins and Ace doing their best to hide their laughter and failing miserably. Rose sent them a pleading look for help and Ace grinned.

"Oi, Blossom, give us a hand here," she called.

"Sorry, gotta go," said Rose. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," he said, looking a bit surprised at her abrupt departure.

Rose walked over to Ace and Ross near the Dalek and sent Ace a grateful look. "The Dalek's still not operational then?" she asked.

"Seems so," answered Ace. "Hope the Professor is having better luck on his end."

* * *

"Absolutely foolish," the Doctor declared as he saw two dozen Daleks lined up in the vault. They were all dead or at least, turned off as far as he could tell. He was still sceptical of Van Statten's declaration that he had removed the destructive factor and built new Daleks.

Daleks were not robots; they were a living organism living inside an almost impenetrable outer casing. He thought of the weakened Dalek in the ballroom above who had been the original Dalek that Van Statten had used.

"Miss Goddard, how did Mr Van Statten acquire the original specimen?" asked the Doctor.

"Bought it off an auction, sir," she said. "It fell to Earth almost twenty years ago and has changed several dealers since," she answered.

"An alien life form, especially as destructive as this one, should have been reported to UNIT at once," said the Brigadier, disapprovingly.

Diana shrugged apologetically. "The black market trading of alien artefacts and specimens is a lucrative trade, sir," she said.

"Money, Alistair," said the Doctor as he examined one of the Daleks. "Money holds the power with your kind." He tapped his knuckles on one of the Daleks experimentally.

Upstairs, the weakened Dalek slowly raised its eyestalk. Ace, Rose and Ross jumped away from it, Ross raising his gun as they did so.

"Oh relax, idiots," said Van Statten, rolling his eyes. "It won't harm you."

"EXTERMINATE!" The ray blasted from its gun and killed one of Van Statten's soldiers.

Down in the vault, the Daleks began to raise their eye-stalks one by one. The Doctor jumped back in alarm, pulling the Brigadier, Diana and Corporal Collins along with him.

"At my signal," he said. "RUN!"

They ran through the vault as the Daleks began to follow them slowly, but gaining strength rapidly. They reached the vault door and Diana tried to open it. "It won't open!" she said.

The Brigadier entered the code again but the door remained sealed. The four of them were trapped with two dozen Daleks behind them.

In the ballroom, the Doctor's companions, Van Statten and his people and Corporal Jenkins were faced with the Dalek that was as pristine as before with no signs of damage.

"I AM DALEK PRIME," it said. "PRE-PARE TO BE EXTER-MINATED."

* * *

**A/N Thanks for reading. End of Part 2. What did you think?**

**For those slightly confused by Ace and Rose's first meeting, I'll be elaborating it in the next chapter. But I am sure that some of you might have made the connection already.**

**Anyway, let me know what you thought. The next chapter will see them fighting Daleks which is always fun.**

**See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	23. The Dalek Factor: Wolves of Time

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. ****Sorry for my unexplained absence. I have been on a spontaneous vacation but I am back now so updates will be more regular from now on. I apologise if I haven't replied to any reviews but I have lost track of the ones that I have answered and ones I haven't. Sorry if I haven't answered anything important.**

******We finally have Ace and Rose talking and this chapter focuses majorly on that and not much on the action. **

******Happy Reading!**

* * *

******The Dalek Factor: Wolves of Time**

_Previously_

_Down in the vault, the Daleks began to raise their eye-stalks one by one. The Doctor jumped back in alarm, pulling the Brigadier, Diana and Corporal Collins along with him._

_"At my signal," he said. "RUN!"_

_They ran through the vault as the Daleks began to follow them slowly, but gaining strength rapidly. They reached the vault door and Diana tried to open it. "It won't open!" she said._

_The Brigadier entered the code again but the door remained sealed. The four of them were trapped with two dozen Daleks behind them._

_In the ballroom, the Doctor's companions, Van Statten and his people and Corporal Jenkins were faced with the Dalek that was as pristine as before with no signs of damage._

_"I AM DALEK PRIME," it said. "PRE-PARE TO BE EXTER-MINATED."_

"That's not possible," said Van Statten, staring at the Dalek in horror. "I made you! You can't do this! I am Henry…"

"Shut up, Van Statten," snapped Ace, her eyes fixed on Dalek Prime.

The Dalek's eyestalk swivelled to her and Ace tensed, acutely aware of the lack of weapons on her. Ross Jenkins raised his gun but before he could fire, Van Statten's remaining guard did. The bullet barely made a dent on the Dalek's shell before a blast of the ray gun killed the second guard too.

"Don't fire," said Rose, gripping Ross's wrist. "It'll kill you."

"It'll kill us anyway," said Ace, her fists clenching and unclenching as if wishing she was holding something to hit the Dalek with. Preferably a baseball bat powered by Omega's glove.

The older assistant behind Van Statten, perhaps in a sudden fit of bravery, threw a small silver sphere at the Dalek which opened up and sprang a mesh upon the Dalek, engulfing it in blue energy. The Dalek let out a howl and fired the ray gun, killing the assistant.

"Run, you fools," said Van Statten as he took off from the ballroom. The energy seemed to be fading, so Rose, Ace, Jenkins and Adam ran behind Van Statten.

"Where's the TARDIS?" Ace asked Rose.

"Kitchens, but we can't risk it," said Rose as she ran.

"My suite is the most secure place in this building," said Van Statten, leading the way. "I programmed in the defences myself."

"Yeah, you can brag later, sunshine," snapped Ace. "Hurry up for now!"

They couldn't see or hear the Dalek behind them, meaning that the energy cell was still holding. Or the Dalek was at least temporarily paralysed.

They arrived at a pair of double oak doors surrounded by a metallic frame. Van Statten opened up a panel in the wall next to it and typed in something rapidly. The doors creaked open and he pushed past everyone, leaving them to follow him into the suite. Once everyone was in, he closed the doors and sealed them using a panel in the room.

"We're safe," he said, once he was done.

"For now," said Ace darkly.

"What was his name?" asked Rose. "The man who just saved us."

Van Statten just stared incredulously at her but Adam understood what she meant. "That was Mr Polkowski."

Rose nodded at him and ignored Van Statten's eye-roll. Her dislike for the man was gradually turning into hatred. Ace, on the other hand, had seen the entire exchange and was currently glaring at Van Statten. "You know, you could be a bit more compassionate, Van Statten," she said.

"The man was an idiot wasting that energy cell," he said. "It cost nearly a hundred thousand."

"He just died saving our lives," snapped Rose, incensed. Van Statten merely glared at her in response and Rose shook her head in incredulity before turning away from him. "We need to see if the Doctor and Brigadier made it out of the vault," she said.

"I'll try and get on my radio with Collins, ma'am," said Jenkins.

"The signal is better through the second study," said Adam. "I'll show you."

Jenkins nodded in thanks as he and Adam left the room. Van Statten situated himself at his desk and started typing something, pointedly ignoring both Rose and Ace.

Ace paid him no attention as she made her way to the bathroom. Rose followed her quickly and saw that she was gathering any and all deodorant and hairspray cans in the bathroom.

"So, what are you doing?" asked Rose curiously, leaning in the doorway.

Ace looked up and gave her a quick grin. "Making Nitro-9. It's my own recipe. Not sure the Professor would approve of me showing you."

"Doesn't seem to deter you," said Rose, only half-joking.

Ace looked like she was about to make a joke right back but then her expression turned serious. "How long you been travelling with him?" she asked.

Rose looked a bit surprised at the change in subject. "Almost three years, apparently," she shrugged. "How long did you travel with him?"

"Dunno," she answered. "Lost count after a few years. Might have been close to a decade." Rose raised her eyebrows in shock, making Ace chuckle. "I met him when I was 16. Well, I say met."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose, curiously.

"My meeting with the Doctor wasn't exactly random," she said, her eyes suddenly looking much older. "It wasn't his fault. Not that time anyway."

Rose wondered about the sadness and anger in her demeanour. Her curiosity and concern must have shown on her face, since Ace gave sigh and sat down at the edge of the tub. "I was swept up by a time storm from Perivale," she said.

A gasp escaped Rose as she suddenly thought of Rory. Had the Rani trapped Ace the same way too? Ace misinterpreted the gasp and gave a slight laugh. "I know, right? My name is Dorothy and I was swept up by a storm and arrived on a new world."

Rose gave a weak chuckle but stayed focused on the topic at hand. "Who trapped you into the time storm?" she asked.

"You've heard about them then?" asked Ace, only slightly surprised. "Well, who trapped me wasn't so important. I dealt with him a long time ago."

"And the Doctor?" asked Rose, after Ace fell silent.

"He knew everything since the moment we met," said Ace. "He just didn't think it fit to tell me. Not until he thought the time was right."

Rose was inexplicably reminded of her own situation with the Doctor. He had known about the lack of her timelines since the first time they had met, but he hadn't told her until she had brought it up months later. Not to mention the Bad Wolf, Arkytior and the Other. She still didn't fully understand how she was connected to all of those things. He had said that he had told her as much as he could, but there had to be more.

Ace continued on, unaware of the conflict in Rose's mind. "Fenric manipulated timelines so that I could be used as a weapon against the Doctor. Wolves of Fenric, he called people like me."

Rose's head snapped up. "W-wolf?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.

Ace looked at her in surprise. "Yeah," she said, looking at Rose in concern. "Does that mean something to you?"

Rose was trembling lightly as she thought of her connection to Bad Wolf. "I don't know," she said finally. "It might explain what happened when I first saw you."

Ace straightened up. "I had a sudden image of Fenric when I saw you," she said, looking much warier now. "I thought that it was just an effect of seeing the Doctor after so many years. What did you see?"

"Bad Wolf," said Rose. "Something that happened to me a while ago." She knew that there was a very likely possibility that she was connected to the same thing that Ace was, but Rose had never been afraid of the Bad Wolf. On the other hand, Ace seemed to hate the association to the wolves of Fenric as if it tainted her somehow.

"Bad Wolf?" asked Ace, looking slightly taken aback. "How does it feel?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" asked Rose, startled at the change in her tone.

"The Bad Wolf. Does it feel like a curse? Like you're all wrong for some reason?" asked Ace.

"No!" said Rose at once. "No. It feels...felt...wonderful. I saved the Doctor, saved all of Gallifrey and the Time Lords."

Ace stared at her with wide eyes. "Why are you really here, Rose?" she asked. "The Doctor just doesn't drop in randomly. Not even when there is trouble like this."

Rose cleared her throat. "We've been given a task to complete," she said.

Ace gave a bitter smile. "Time Lords?" she asked.

"No," said Rose. "Ever heard of the Guardians?"

Ace stiffened visibly. "I've heard about them alright," she said. "And I don't like what I have heard."

Rose shrugged. "We're almost done anyway," she said.

Ace stood up and walked up to her. "Look, I am about to give you some advice and even if you think I am out of line, just hear me out. If there is one thing I know about the Doctor is that he thinks that his way is the right way, no matter what. And most of the time, he is right about that. But the way that he goes about it makes collateral damage of us all. Those of us that get involved in that life of his are always at risk and I am not talking about getting killed or kidnapped or the usual. I mean being hurt by the Doctor himself. I know Fenric tried to ruin my life and the Doctor saved me but the way he did it, made me lose faith in him. I never trusted him the same way again and I never will again."

Rose was stunned into silence. "You-you sound like-like you hate him," she said, her voice shaky.

Ace gave a bitter laugh. "If only it was as simple as that," she said. "I did hate him for some of the things he put me through, but at the end of the day he was the closest thing to a father I have ever had. You and the Doctor are close, that much I can tell, and I would be very glad if you never told me how close you really are," she said, making a face. "But be careful. He thinks he knows best and maybe he does, but we are human. We like to make our own mistakes and do things on our own terms. Just because he knows best doesn't mean he gets to make our decisions for us."

As reluctant as she was to doubt her trust in the Doctor, Rose was reminded of the time that he had tricked her into a kiss before knocking her out. He was doing it for her safety but he hadn't given her a choice or say on the matter. How many other things had happened in their travels together that he hadn't told her about? How many times had her decision been made by him for her?

Ace patted her arm in comfort. "I'm not telling you this to make problems between you two. Actually, I am really glad to see him so happy. I just want you to be careful. For your own sake," she said.

"Thanks," was all Rose could manage. Ace turned back to her cans of Nitro-9 while Rose stayed silent and contemplated all that she had been told. As shocked as she currently was, it somehow seemed as if it was something she had known all along but hadn't cared to examine too closely for fear of being right. Rose had never felt like a bigger fool. She had wilfully closed her eyes to the Doctor's faults, just like she had done with Jimmy. Was she just that sort of a person then? The one who lived in her own world and remained ignorant to the reality of the situation.

"Almost done," said Ace, sealing up the last of the cans and breaking Rose out of her thoughts.

"What did you mean when you asked me if I felt like I was cursed?" asked Rose.

Ace sighed. "Because I am cursed and that's how I feel. How I've always felt. Like there was something wrong with me. I created my own future and played right into his plans," she said, looking down at her hands. "It's been years but I still have nightmares about Fenric telling me he has plans for me. His wolf."

Rose shivered at her words. "I'm sorry," she said. "I truly am. But I haven't ever felt like that. The Bad Wolf is something that I have always associated with comfort and safety."

Ace looked at her seriously. "Then it explains why it's the bad wolf," she said. "Fenric was an Ancient Evil and he might have manipulated a lot of things but maybe you found a way out, Rose."

"But I don't even know who Fenric is," said Rose, feeling like the answer was right at the tip of her tongue but something was preventing her from remembering exactly what it was. A sudden image flashed through her mind: _Everything. Do you really want to know everything?_

She gasped, and Ace grabbed her shoulders roughly. "You looked like you were going into shock," said Ace, not mentioning that her eyes had seemed to glow in that moment.

"I just remembered something," said Rose, clutching Ace's arms almost painfully. "Back on Gallifrey. Something the Bad Wolf told the Doctor but he refused to know what it was. He said he didn't want to know everything. Like it was a secret that he didn't want anyone to ever know."

Ace pursed her lips as she rubbed Rose's shoulder in comfort. "The Doctor has a lot of secrets but...the most obvious one that comes to mind..."

"What?" asked Rose earnestly. "Tell me."

"Who he is," said Ace. "He told me that he was far more than just another Time Lord."

Rose's arms fell to her sides. "Oh my god," she said, her mind practically whirling. The Other. She had been so curious about him, and the Doctor had been so evasive. He had called it his secret. A secret so terrible that he could never tell anybody. It was so obvious now.

"Rose," called Ace, when the other girl remained speechless. "What's wrong?"

Rose didn't answer as the endless possibilities flew through her mind._ It was the Other's secret. But it is mine to keep as well. _He had practically told her and she hadn't even realised it. If he really was the Other...and the Bad Wolf was connected to him...

Ace was starting to look worried at her silence but they were interrupted when Jenkins and Adam ran to them.

"Ma'am, there is bad news," said Jenkins sombrely. "There's only static on the other end."

Ace turned away from Rose who was looking very pale. "The comms. must be down. Nothing to worry," said Ace, trying to sound reassuring even as she looked at Rose in worry.

"That's not the worst of it," said Adam apologetically. "I checked on the vault security and it shows that there was a massive ceiling collapse inside. No one could have survived that."

Ace shook her head insistently. "They would have got out," she said, sounding more confident than she was feeling. "We just have to find a way to get in touch with them."

"Collins' comm. signal is still coming from the vault," said Jenkins, looking very much like he would have liked to believe Ace. "I'm sorry, ma'am. They're all dead."

* * *

**A/N End of the chapter. What did you think?**

**A lot of things were revealed and those of you well-versed with Doctor Who's history are probably starting to make connections already. I know it seems confusing if you are being confronted with it the first time, so feel free to ask me anything that you need cleared up. **

**The Doctor being the Other was no secret I expect, and you can guess that I am mixing Cartmel's plan with Rose's arc of Bad Wolf. It was a convenient happenstance. Or was it? Hmm, I wonder if RTD chose Bad Wolf deliberately...**

**Anyway, the final part will be up soon. The final segment still needs to be found, there are Daleks to be dealt with and the Guardians are conveniently absent. **

**~ Phoenix**


	24. The Dalek Factor: The Key to Time

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid.**

**A/N A huge apology to you guys for bailing out unexpectedly. I have no excuse and I am just sorry. Hopefully, I am back properly now since I am almost done writing the next story and getting started on the one after that too.**

**Thanks to everyone who has been motivating me to get off my butt and actually update.**

**This is the final part of 'The Dalek Factor' and I hope you enjoy it.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Dalek Factor: The Key to Time**

_Previously_

_Rose didn't answer as the endless possibilities flew through her mind.__It was the Other's secret. But it is mine to keep as well.__He had practically told her and she hadn't even realised it. If he really was the Other...and the Bad Wolf was connected to him..._

_Ace was starting to look worried at her silence but they were interrupted when Jenkins and Adam ran to them._

_"Ma'am, there is bad news," said Jenkins sombrely. "There's only static on the other end."_

_Ace turned away from Rose who was looking very pale. "The comms. must be down. Nothing to worry," said Ace, trying to sound reassuring even as she looked at Rose in worry._

_"That's not the worst of it," said Adam apologetically. "I checked on the vault security and it shows that there was a massive ceiling collapse inside. No one could have survived that."_

_Ace shook her head insistently. "They would have got out," she said, sounding more confident than she was feeling. "We just have to find a way to get in touch with them."_

_"Collins' comm. signal is still coming from the vault," said Jenkins, looking very much like he would have liked to believe Ace. "I'm sorry, ma'am. They're all dead."_

Through the rubble, the Doctor crawled over to the person closest to him who turned out to be the Brigadier. "Alistair! Alistair," he called, scrambling his hand towards the Brigadier's neck. He almost sagged with relief when he felt the steady thrum of the Brigadier's pulse. "Alistair, can you hear me?"

The Brigadier opened his eyes slowly and the first thing he did was shoot a glare at the Doctor. "A chap could have used a warning before you brought the ceiling down on top of us, Doctor," he said irritably.

The Doctor beamed at the familiar berating tone. "Good to have you back among the conscious, Brigadier," he said fondly. "And collapsing the ceiling was essential. Whatever Van Statten mixed with Dalekanium to make those daleks, it makes their outer shell more prone to damage."

"Any sign of Miss Goddard?" the Brigadier asked as he sat up with the Doctor's help.

The Doctor looked around the fallen rubble and caught a flash of red hair. He scrambled over to her quickly and felt her pulse. She was breathing but had taken a blow to the head. "She needs medical attention," he said. "Brigadier, we have to start crawling toward the exit."

The Brigadier raised himself up on his knees and looked around. "Which way is it?"

"Through there," said the Doctor, nodding to the right. "I'll carry Diana."

The Brigadier grunted in slight pain as he started to crawl through the rubble. He cast a last saddened look at the large pile-up, remembering Collins' lifeless body hitting the floor. The brave fellow had volunteered to face the Daleks while the Doctor weakened the ceiling with his sonic screwdriver. Suddenly, he spotted a movement through the fallen debris.

"We have to hurry," he called to the Doctor who had Diana flung on his shoulder. "The Daleks are recovering."

They increased their pace and were almost at the now-open exit when the Dalek from Van Statten's demonstration rolled along towards them. They stopped in their paths, too petrified to move as the Dalek raised its gun and aimed it at the Doctor.

"You have been identified as the Doctor," it said. "You are an enemy of the Daleks. You will be EXTERMINATED."

The Doctor's lip curled in anger but before he could form a retort to that, the other Daleks behind the collapse picked up their leader's chant as they started to clear the debris in their path.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

"Oh, just hold on now," said the Doctor, putting on an air of someone wholly bored of the entire thing.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" the Brigadier muttered at him through the corner of his mouth.

"Well, Brigadier, you ought to remember one very important thing," said the Doctor, sounding optimistic.

"What would that be, Doctor?" asked the Brigadier, clearly playing along.

"I always have an Ace up my sleeve," said the Doctor.

"That's right he does, tin can," said Ace as she emerged from behind the Dalek Prime. "Now, Blossom!"

Rose covered the Dalek's eyestalk with a handful of toothpaste at the same time that Ace stuck a Nitro-9 can to the Dalek's body. Before the Dalek could do more than scream about its vision being impaired, the Nitro-9 had exploded.

As the smoke cleared, the Doctor and the Brigadier emerged out, the Doctor still carrying Diana. Dalek Prime was motionless once more but they were all positive that it would recharge soon enough, as would the now-dormant Daleks in the vault.

Before Ace could ask the Doctor how they were meant to deal with it, the Doctor handed Diana to Corporal Jenkins and Adam who immediately started checking her for damage. The Doctor drew out the core of the Key to Time and touched it to the motionless Dalek Prime. Everyone in the vicinity watched with wide eyes as the Dalek shimmered and turned into a transparent part of a cuboid structure. The Doctor bent down and picked it up, smiling at Rose, Ace and the Brigadier.

"What just happened?" asked Van Statten, looking at the Doctor with wide eyes. "What did you do to my creation?"

"Oh shut up, Van Statten," snapped Ace. "What about those remaining ones in the vault, Professor?"

"I believe you should get in touch with UNIT, Brigadier," said the Doctor, pocketing the segment. "That lot needs to be taken care of," he said, nodding back towards the daleks.

The Brigadier nodded and took the radio that Corporal Jenkins gave him and started relaying instructions to UNIT personnel outside the venue. The Doctor ignored Van Statten's demands and ensured that Diana, who was just waking up, wasn't seriously injured or needed any emergency care. Upon making that she would be just fine after some proper medical care, he ordered Adam to take Diana outside where there would be emergency services waiting.

"We are ordered to vacate the premises." The Brigadier was back. "The UNIT response team will be here," he added.

"Then I'm afraid Rose and I must take our leave," said the Doctor, looking at Rose who had been rather quiet the whole time.

The Brigadier nodded and shook the Doctor's hand. "Thank you for your help, Doctor," he said.

"My pleasure, Alistair," said the Doctor with a wide smile.

The Brigadier shook Rose's hand who smiled widely at him as she returned his handshake. His gaze wandered over to Van Statten who was already on his phone, calling up his contacts which made the Brigadier sigh.

Ace shot him a reassuring grin. She doubted that this little incident would go unexamined by UNIT. Van Statten would have a lot to answer for. She glanced at Rose who was still very quiet. She didn't know what had made her go so quiet and contemplative but Ace recognised anger brimming under her calm demeanour and knew that she and the Doctor would be hashing some things out soon.

Speaking of whom, as the Brigadier left, dragging Van Statten and Jenkins with him, Ace turned to Rose. "You going to be okay?" she asked her in a low voice, aware of the Doctor who was pretending to examine the segment of the Key.

Rose gave a small smile and nodded. "Thanks for everything, Ace," she said, sincerely.

Ace smiled and gave her a card. "Anytime you wanna talk, just call," she said.

Rose took the card and hugged Ace, startling the older woman. "Thank you, Ace," she said. She looked between her and the Doctor and decided to give them some privacy.

The Doctor smiled gratefully at her as she left but Rose was too lost in her thoughts to register it. As she went towards the kitchens, the Doctor turned to Ace. "So, Miss McShane," he said playfully. "I suppose this is goodbye."

"I know that I didn't leave things on a very good note the last time we met," Ace blurted out, looking a bit embarrassed. "I guess, it was just one time too many for me."

The Doctor looked genuinely regretful. "I am very sorry, Ace," he said. "I wouldn't have wished that incarnation on anyone and I regret every day that you had to bear the brunt of it."

"I don't regret it, you know," Ace told him. "I do wish that some things had happened differently but I'd never regret all the time I spent with you."

The Doctor smiled. "I am very glad to hear it," he said, holding out his arms.

Ace grinned and hugged him tightly. "See you then, Professor," she said.

"See you, my Ace," he said, looking proud as punch as he looked at her.

Ace nodded and began to leave before turning back to the Doctor. "Look after Rose, will you?" she said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I always do," he said carefully.

Ace gave a bitter smile. "I mean it," she said. "If there's one thing you can do is learn from your mistakes."

"Ace," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Goodbye, Professor," said Ace, smiling sadly at him.

The Doctor watched as Ace nodded and left. He stood there for a long time, contemplating her words before being reminded that he had to leave before the UNIT response team got in. He jogged over to the now-empty kitchens and made his way to the larder. Rose was already inside the TARDIS and had left the door open for him.

He closed it after himself and walked over to the console. A few quick flicks of levers and the TARDIS started up, taking them into the vortex. He looked at Rose who was sitting in her armchair, her expression quiet and contemplative as it had been from the moment he had laid eyes on her again. There had been no smile or hug from her and the Doctor was getting rather worried.

"Rose," he began, only to have her cut him off.

"The last piece?" she asked, looking at the table in front of her where she had put the partially assembled key. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the dismissive response but he took the last segment and placed it into the right spot. "Is that it?" she asked.

"No," he answered and inserted the core right down the middle of it.

The whole Key glowed brightly as the lights in the TARDIS dimmed and the rotor came to a halt. Rose stood up, and looked at the Doctor for an explanation.

"Doctor."

The two of them whirled around when they saw the white-haired man in his white suit and panama hat smiling serenely at them. "You have been successful," he said.

"Rose, meet the White Guardian," said the Doctor.

Rose gave a small nod in his direction and received a short bow in return. "A pleasure, Miss Tyler," he said. "The Key, Doctor?"

The Doctor carefully picked up the Key and walked over to the White Guardian. As soon as he was about a foot away from him, the Key floated from his hands over to the White Guardian who held it reverently.

"This will not go unrewarded, Doctor, Miss Tyler," said the White Guardian.

"We have no need for rewards, sir," said the Doctor carefully. "I just hope you sort out the war."

"With this, Doctor, we shall be able to," said the White Guardian, looking to the Key. "As I understand, Miss Pond and Mr Williams are no longer travelling with you."

"No," said Rose. "They stayed back on Nimbus Prime."

The White Guardian gave a short nod. "They shall lead a very fulfilling life," he said. "As shall you both. Goodbye."

The last word continued to echo around them as the White Guardian faded out of sight. The lights inside the TARDIS brightened again and the rotor started up. The Doctor turned away from the spot where the White Guardian had disappeared and looked at Rose who had lost her calm demeanour and was glaring at him.

"Yes, Rose?" he sighed, bracing himself.

"Tell me about Fenric," said Rose, managing to keep her voice calm despite the glare she was shooting at him.

The Doctor had evidently not been expecting that. "Fenric? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Ace told me about Fenric's wolves," said Rose, starting to pace as she talked. "You didn't think that there was any connection to Bad Wolf?"

"What?" he asked, so genuinely shocked that Rose stopped and stared at him.

"You really didn't think they were connected," said Rose, sounding surprised.

"Of course, I didn't," he snapped. "I still don't. I am certain it is just a coincidence."

"No, it really isn't," said Rose with a bitter smile. "When I met Ace, I had a flashback to Bad Wolf on Gallifrey and Ace had a flash of Fenric."

The Doctor looked unsettled at that revelation but shook his head insistently. "Rose, it must have been a coincidence," he said.

Rose didn't appear to be listening to him. "I also remembered a few more things about the Bad Wolf," she said.

"Like what?" asked the Doctor, looking cautious now.

"The Other," she said, looking straight at him. "It's you, isn't it?"

The Doctor's eyes went wide momentarily before his face hardened. "Rose…"

"Don't," she said. "Don't insult me by lying to me again." He fell silent as she started pacing again. "I should have seen it before. You practically told me but I didn't get it."

"Rose," he said, pleading now as he registered the hurt in her voice.

"What else haven't you told me?" she demanded. "What more do you know about Arkytior and Bad Wolf and Fenric that you don't want me to know?"

"Nothing," he said, looking astonished that she would doubt him now. After all they'd been through together.

Rose shook her head and he was startled to see tears glistening in her eyes. "Why should I believe you?" she asked. "You have kept secrets every step of the way. What reason do I have to believe you?"

The Doctor looked horrified as her face crumpled and tears slid down her cheeks. "Rose," he said, looking deeply ashamed and regretful. "Oh Rose," he said, moving towards her but Rose took a step back, stopping him in his tracks. "Please, Rose, you have to believe me. I never wanted to hurt you. I only wanted to protect you, I wanted to keep you safe. My darling Rose, I would never…"

The lights in the TARDIS suddenly went out completely, plunging them into darkness. Even the Doctor's superior vision was useless in the unnatural darkness that surrounded them. "Rose?" he called, extending his arms in front of him to find her.

There was no reply; in fact, there was no sound at all. The Doctor felt a trickle of fear in his hearts, just as the lights came on again. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision but his hearts went cold when he saw that Rose was no longer in the console room.

"ROSE!" he called, knowing that he hadn't heard her move or go inside. She had simply disappeared. "ROSE!"

He was about to head to the console to see what had happened when a blinding pain filled his head. With a scream loud enough to chill any mortal's heart, the Doctor fell to his knees as his vision went white. The TARDIS gave a mournful whine as her systems began to shut down one at a time.

The Doctor lost consciousness slowly, feeling the connection to the TARDIS being broken off but being unable to stop it.

Across the universe, the ominous laughter of the Black Guardian continued echo.

* * *

**A/N End of #6 'The Dalek Factor'. Thanks for reading.**

**I did say that the Guardians were very quiet, weren't they? The next story is called 'Different Beginnings' and will pick up from this point in the story. It has many timey wimey elements which is why I wanted to wait until I finished the whole adventure before posting it.**

**I'll post Part 1 in 2-3 days, I promise. Meanwhile, let me know what you thought of this one. For those of you wondering how Fenric is going to fit into this, just wait and see.**

**See you soon!**

**~ Phoenix**


	25. Different Beginnings: Phantasmagoria

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.**

**A/N We crossed 400 reviews to this story! Thank you so much for that.**

**As promised, here is Part 1 of story #7 'Different Beginnings'. This story is going to get confusing very quickly very fast so I'd be happy to answer any and all questions that you might have at the end of each chapter.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Different Beginnings: Phantasmagoria **

_Previously_

_The lights in the TARDIS suddenly went out completely, plunging them into darkness. Even the Doctor's superior vision was useless in the unnatural darkness that surrounded them. "Rose?" he called, extending his arms in front of him to find her._

_There was no reply; in fact, there was no sound at all. The Doctor felt a trickle of fear in his hearts, just as the lights came on again. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision but his hearts went cold when he saw that Rose was no longer in the console room._

_"ROSE!" he called, knowing that he hadn't heard her move or go inside. She had simply disappeared. "ROSE!"_

_He was about to head to the console to see what had happened when a blinding pain filled his head. With a scream loud enough to chill any mortal's heart, the Doctor fell to his knees as his vision went white. The TARDIS gave a mournful whine as her systems began to shut down one at a time._

_The Doctor lost consciousness slowly, feeling the connection to the TARDIS being broken off but being unable to stop it._

_Across the universe, the ominous laughter of the Black Guardian continued echo._

When the Doctor regained consciousness, the first thing he realised that he was tucked in rather comfortably in bed. A familiar scent enveloped him and he smiled happily. _Rose._ Thank Rassilon she was alright.

It had been an extraordinary dream, he remembered. They had handed the Key back to the White Guardian but then the TARDIS had been enveloped by darkness and Rose had disappeared. He also recalled a splitting headache but he expected it had passed. Rose must have helped him into bed.

In any case, his head felt fine. He felt rather well-refreshed for some reason. He turned to his side, only to have his senses assaulted by Rose's scent again.

"Rose,"he whispered, without opening his eyes.

A giggle answered and it was music to his ears. She was here, they were both alright and the Key was where it was supposed to be.

"Rose?" she asked, sounding amused. "Feeling mischievous, are we?"

Before he could ponder that rather odd statement, he felt soft lips press against his and his hearts thundered in his chest. He opened his eyes and there she was, pulling away from the kiss and grinning at him.

_What?_ He didn't voice that out loud as he saw Rose in bed next to him. But she looked so different. Her golden hair was longer, almost all the way to her waist and there were no dark roots. Her face was bright and flushed pink but her eyes had a lot more gold flecks in the brown rather than the occasional green that was there before.

His mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to understand what had happened. She didn't seem to notice his rather speechless state as she ran a hand over his cheek and his lips and smiled. "What would Lord Rassilon think of you calling me 'Rose'? Such a scandal," she said teasingly.

"R-Rassilon?" he stammered.

She grinned. "Don't you remember the last time you called me Rose in public? I thought he'd have a fit over you not using my Gallifreyan name," she said.

Gallifreyan name…Arkytior. No, none of this made sense. Rassilon was long dead, Rose was human and he certainly couldn't remember how those two things could be happening in this conversation. "Am I dreaming?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse to his own ears.

Rose threw her head back and laughed and he couldn't help but stare at the shining golden hair and her pale creamy neck. Pale creamy neck that led to other parts barely covered by a thin white sheet. He gulped as he let his eyes trail down her body as she lay like a goddess, with her hair like a halo around her head.

_Dream-dream-dream_ his mind screamed because there was no possible way that this was real. He and Rose weren't like that, whatever his feelings.

He opened his mouth, ready with a hundred questions on his lips but something chimed and Rose sat up hastily. She touched the device on the side table next to their bed and the Doctor sat up and stared. This wasn't the room in the TARDIS. This was a spacious room done is shades of white and blue with a huge glass window to the side. A window that went from the floor to the ceiling. And beyond which, there was a view of...No, no, no.

Impossible. That was impossible. He jumped out of bed hastily, hardly realising that he was naked as he stood looking out of the window. The twin suns shone brightly over the citadel in the distance and he couldn't breathe. Gallifrey, he was on Gallifrey.

Except just like Rose, this wasn't the Gallifrey he remembered. Oh, it looked much the same but there were fewer buildings in the citadel and the whole place looked…new. The Doctor was more than a thousand years old but Gallifrey was a lot older than him. However she looked so much newer, without the hushed burdens of history that eons had heaped on her.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think through the confusion and the impossibility of knowledge that he had somehow travelled back in time to his own planet.

"Not that I object to it, but you do realise that you're naked right?" he heard Rose ask behind him.

He turned around and stared at her. She was sitting up, the white sheet wrapped around her, her hair falling around like waterfall around her. No, this wasn't real, couldn't be real. Gallifrey had strict time defences, one couldn't just pop back into the planet's past upon a whim.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, frowning.

He didn't answer, merely shook his head. "This isn't real," he said, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, Rose was still there, looking at him in confusion.

"What's not real?" she asked him.

"This!" he said, gesturing wildly around him. "Everything! Gallifrey! You!" he said.

Rose's smile dimmed. "Are you feeling alright? Has the stress got to you yet again?"

"Stress of what?" he asked, despite himself.

She looked worried as she stood up and walked up to him. He averted his eyes but she seemed unconcerned at her unclothed state. Some part of his brain pointed out that he was in the same state as her but before he could think to cover himself up, she said a string of musical syllables that nearly stopped his hearts.

It was his name; _no_, he corrected, it was the name he instinctually knew had belonged to the Other. Rose couldn't have known, not even this version of her. Unless…

"Arkytior," he murmured, his brain starting to put the pieces together. He had suspected, oh he had suspected this but never in all his lives had he thought that this would be true. It was Rose; she was the Eternal that the Other had fallen in love with.

No wonder he couldn't see her timeline, their timelines had been entwined from such a long time ago. Bonded forever, in such a way that not even death could have broken it.

But no, he reminded himself. This was just an illusion, perhaps a long buried memory but he had to get out of it. He had to find his Rose; the Rose Tyler whom he had met while Cybermen had taken over the shop in London, who was his best friend and the one he adored immensely. The past was just that; the past. It might have influenced why he had been intrigued by Rose but he knew that he had come to love her for all she had done for him and the universe since she had travelling with him.

Rose Tyler was grumpy in the mornings, was inordinately fond of chips and the colour pink, and loved to pester him about changing his wardrobe once in a while. She had a compassionate heart, a generous soul and a smile that could light up the skies. She was very real and he had to wake up now to find her. The Other and his Eternal could relive their memories for all he cared but he was going to find his Rose.

_Never saw the sun shining so bright, _

_Never saw things going so right…_

"What is that?" he asked, snapping out of his thoughts at the song that had started playing.

"What is what?" Arkytior questioned, looking concerned.

_Noticing the days hurrying by, _

_When you're in love, my how they fly_

_Oh blue skies, smiling at me_

"Irving Berlin," he muttered, recognising the song. He blinked and when his eyes opened, he nearly lost his footing at the sounds that assaulted his ears. Crowds cheering, children laughing, vendors selling their wares, the sound of ocean in the background…

"Doctor?"

He gave a start as he recognised Rose. It was his Rose, with her shorter hair, dark roots and all, jeans and a blue hoodie. He gave a cry of delight and planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling her into a tight hug. He felt her laugh as she returned his hug.

"Blimey, you're acting like you haven't seen me in years," she said as she pulled away.

"Feels like it," he said. He glanced around again and realised that they were at a fair. He certainly did not remember coming here. "Where are we?" he asked.

Rose looked at him in concern. "Blackpool," she said. "You feelin' alright?"

"Blackpool?" he asked.

"Yeah, we handed the Key over and I said we should go somewhere fun," said Rose cautiously, looking very worried at his lack of recollection. "Doctor, do you wanna go back to the TARDIS?"

"No, no," he said at once. "Blackpool is good. Fun to visit indeed. What year is it?" he asked.

"2008," said Rose. "Look, let's go back to the TARDIS. I'll make you a cuppa while you try and understand why you can't remember yeah?"

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Right, yes," he said. "Where did we park the TARDIS?"

"Come on, this way," said Rose, taking his hand and pulling him towards the boardwalk. As they passed the last of the vendors, the Doctor stiffened at the song being played.

_When you're in love, my how they fly_

_Oh blue skies, smiling at me_

_Nothing but blue skies, do I see…_

"That song," he said.

"Irving Berlin, isn't it?" asked Rose.

"You can hear it?" he asked, sounding surprised.

_Blue birds singing a song_

_Nothing but blue birds all day long_

"Yeah," said Rose, looking very worried and the Doctor couldn't help but compare the near identical expression he had seen on Arkytior's face. "Come on, back to the TARDIS."

The Doctor let her lead him away from the fair but as they walked underneath the exit arch of the fair, the world seemed to tilt and everything went dark.

_Noticing the days hurrying by, _

_When you're in love, my how they fly_

_Oh blue skies, smiling at me_

"Irving Berlin," he muttered, recognising the song. He blinked but stayed right where he was. "No," he said, realising that he was still on Gallifrey. "I was in Blackpool."

"What is Blackpool?" Arkytior asked him, touching his forehead as if trying to gauge if he was ill.

He stumbled away from her and sat down on the bed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "None of this makes sense," he murmured.

She knelt in front of him and took both his hands in hers. "Tell me what is wrong," she said, her expression pleading.

Try as he might, he couldn't ignore that look, least of all from her. "I am swinging back and forth through time. In a way that shouldn't be possible," he said.

"Do you want me to send for Lord Rassilon?" she asked. "Perhaps he shall be able to help."

He almost nodded before shaking his head. He couldn't be certain that this wasn't some dream, perhaps a telepathic trap that was forcing him to relive a past life that he had erased completely from his mind. "No," he said. "I just…I need you to refresh my memories," he said, looking at her.

She looked worried but nodded as she extended her hand towards his temple. Startled, he caught her wrist before she could establish a connection. "No!" he shouted, wincing when he saw the hurt flash across her face. "I-I meant, just talk to me," he said, softening his voice. "Please."

"What do you want to know?" she asked, looking slightly wary.

"Gallifrey," he said. "What are you doing on Gallifrey?" There, that was a safe question. Why would an Eternal be on Gallifrey?

She bit her lip as she stood up and sat down next to him on the bed. "Hiding," she said, looking down at her hands. "Lord Rassilon is keeping Fenric and the others away for the time being."

He went rigid when she mentioned Fenric. So there was something connecting it after all. He owed Rose an apology for dismissing her concerns, among other things. "How is he doing that?" he asked, his tone gentler now.

"The birth of our daughter has all but obscured my immortal signature," she said, sounding very sad. "We have no idea how long it will be until it wears off and I'll be visible to them again."

The Doctor's vision swayed precariously. A child; she had given birth to a girl. The legend had been true. He had been a father; she had borne him a child. A womb-borne child. "Where…" he said, his voice sounding so hoarse that he wasn't sure she could hear him. "Where is she now?"

Her head bowed and a few tears dropped into her lap. "In the vortex," she answered in a small voice. "I cannot say where she is. Lord Rassilon was adamant that it was the only way to keep her safe."

Without even thinking, he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She buried her face in his neck and sobbed as he held her tightly. "I am so sorry," he said. "We'll find her one day. I promise," he added, meaning every word of it. Now that he had this confirmation, no power in the universe would stop him from finding his daughter, Susan's mother.

"I believe you," she murmured, looking up at him with tear-filled gaze.

He brushed the tears off her cheek with his thumb and gazed into her eyes, feeling almost humbled by the glow of Eternals that shone from them. He could see why he had fallen in love with her as the Other. Like his Rose, she was beautiful, kind and held such love for him that it was overwhelming.

He felt unworthy of her, but he didn't stop her as she leaned in and kissed him languidly. Without breaking the kiss, she pushed him back until he was lying on the bed on his back. The Doctor was so completely lost in the sensation that he missed the song when it started playing again.

_Blue days, all of them gone_

_Nothing but blue skies from now on…_

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what did you think? I know it might be a bit confusing so feel free to ask but as the story unravels, things will become a lot clearer. The song I used is called 'Blue Skies' by Irving Berlin. Nice song if you ever want to hear it.**

**The next part will see what happened to Rose when she disappeared in the last chapter. Or did she really disappear? It could just all be a dream and the Doctor and Rose really did go to Blackpool after they handed over the Key to Time!**

**Part 2 will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	26. Different Beginnings: The Mandarin

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. As promised, this is Rose's side of things. Things are going to get very confusing before they are set right.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Different Beginnings: The Mandarin**

Rose Tyler was comfortably asleep when she felt the bed shift slightly. Without even opening her eyes, she knew that the Doctor must be getting up. He was up before her almost every day and he tried not to jostle the bed too much when he did but she always registered him leaving the bed.

She waited for the tell-tale thump of his legs hitting his side of the floor but it didn't come. In fact, she could still feel him breathing next to her but he was awake. Keeping her eyes shut, she wondered what he was doing when she felt him take her hand.

Rose's heart started hammering in her chest; he had never done anything like that before. Sure, he had held her hand in bed before but this was different. He thought she was asleep and he was…kissing her hand? Rose didn't dare breathe for fear of startling him and alerting him to the fact that she was awake. As his lips drifted lazily up her arm, Rose could keep silent no longer.

Her eyes opened and she was expecting him to jump away and start muttering about places to go and people to see but he was smiling at her with such a warm gaze that she went red.

"Morning," he murmured when he saw that she was awake.

"M-Morning," said Rose, wondering if she had suddenly stepped into the Twilight Zone. "You alright, Doctor?"

"Feeling saucy this morning, are we?" he asked, grinning at her. "I'll play along then. Actually, nurse, I think I might need a close check-up."

Rose's eyes went wide at his suggestive tone. She surreptitiously found her arm and went to give it a sharp pinch when she encountered soft cotton. Frowning, she sat up in bed and looked down at herself. She was dressed in a white nightgown that covered her practically from head to toe, including her arms. Okay, so she definitely was in some bizarre dream. Or a trap, at least.

She chanced a look at her surroundings and realised that yes, she was definitely in a dream. Because this was a room. A room in a house. With cheery floral wallpaper, knick-knacks and all. She glanced back at the Doctor, or well, man who looked like the Doctor, who looked a bit confused at her reaction.

"Rose?" he asked, looking concerned. "Is everything alright, love?"

Rose pressed her hands to her eyes as if hoping that it would wake her up from the obvious dream that she was having, when she noticed something on her left hand. Specifically, the third finger on her left hand. Wondering how she hadn't noticed a wedding ring and band on her finger before now, Rose touched it to make sure that it was real and not a figment of her imagination. She looked back at the Doctor and saw that he wore a matching band on his left hand.

He was wearing an expression of great concern when a shrill ringing made them both jump. The Doctor got out of bed and left the room to answer the phone. Wondering why the phone wasn't kept in the bedroom, Rose followed him and almost fell down in shock when she saw him run downstairs to the living room and answer a large, black rotary phone. Antiquated would be an optimistic way of describing it.

Feeling like she was in a daze, Rose examined the photographs lining the stairway and saw black and white images of the two of them from every frame. She ran down the stairs and looked around the neatly decorated house that evidently belonged to her and the Doctor. Except he wasn't the Doctor, not exactly anyway since she found a stack of files bearing the name 'Dr. John Smith' on them.

"Rose?" He sounded concerned at her odd behaviour.

Rose turned to look at him. "What year is it?" she asked.

He walked up to her slowly and took her hand. Rose tried not to flinch at the unfamiliar warmth of his hand. "Rose, love, are you feeling unwell?" he asked, looking so deeply concerned that Rose was reminded of the Doctor.

Instead of denying it, Rose decided to seize the opportunity and gave a nod. "I-I feel faint," she said. "What year is it?" she persisted, hoping he would tell her if he thought she was suffering from lack of oxygen to the brain.

"1953," he said. "Come on, I'll take you back to bed." Before she could protest, he swept her up into his arms and started to make his way back to the bedroom.

Rose tried to understand what was going on but every explanation she came up with was weaker than the one before. She tried to focus on the last thing that she could remember but she kept drawing a blank. They had handed over the Key to Time to the White Guardian and then…

_The argument_, she realised. She had confronted the Doctor about Ace and Fenric and the Bad Wolf. She couldn't remember anything that had happened next.

"Here we are." Rose jumped as John Smith laid her back down on the bed. He smiled at her and brushed her hair back from her face. "I know it's my day off but Dr. Gough called. I have to go to work until lunchtime at least. Do you want me to send for Mrs. Johnson next door?"

Rose shook her head quickly. "I'll be okay," she said, wanting to be alone while she figured things out. "You should go."

He looked unhappy at having to leave her but Rose shot him her best reassuring smile and he nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll be back in a few hours," he said.

Rose nodded hastily and tried her hardest to stay still as he reached down and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he murmured.

"Love you," Rose muttered quickly when he stared at her, obviously expecting her to reciprocate.

Satisfied, he shot her grin and went off to freshen up and get dressed. Rose tuned out the noises and decided to check in the bedside table on her side. It contained the usual crap: a book, some moisturiser, a shield-shaped locket…

Rose straightened up when she recognised the TARDIS key. She quickly pulled it out and examined the engraving to make sure that it was indeed the right key. The marks were all there and Rose closed the key into her fist, feeling heartened for the first time since waking up.

"Alright, I'm off."

She hastily covered the key with the duvet and smiled at John Smith who blew her a kiss and left. Rose waited until she heard the door slam shut before throwing the duvet off her and rushing back downstairs. The house was neat, too neat as a matter of fact. Rose was certain that the 1950s or not, there was no way that she could keep the house this tidy.

She examined the rooms and realised that there was only one door in the house that was locked. It was right next to the kitchen and would have been an ordinary storage closet, but the fact that it was locked had her intrigued. She examined the lock and was surprised to see that instead of a normal keyhole, it was identical to the lock on the TARDIS doors.

Just as she was about to try and open the door with the key, the radio behind her jumped to life with a song, startling her. She recognised the song instantly; it was Blue Skies by Irving Berlin.

_Blue skies smiling at me_

_Nothing but blue skies do I see_

_Blue birds singing a song_

_Nothing but blue birds all day long_

Rose was slightly unnerved by the radio just coming on by itself but as she took the first steps to turn it off, she felt herself stumble and her vision swam. When the world righted itself, Rose was aware that she was back in her room on the TARDIS.

She cast a quick look down at herself and she was dressed in her usual jeans and a red hoodie, and there was no sign of a ring on her hand. "DOCTOR!" she called. trying not to panic as she ran from her room towards the console room. "Doctor!"

She heard footsteps running towards her and the Doctor, her Doctor with his usual ridiculous clothes, rushed at her in concern. "Rose? What's wrong?" he asked, frantically.

Rose threw her arms around him and held on tightly, feeling comforted by the two hearts beating in his chest. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you," she said, still holding onto him tightly.

He ran a hand through her hair, startled to find that she was trembling. "Rose, what happened?" he asked gently.

"I don't know," she said, looking up at him. "I must have been dreaming but it felt…real." Her brow furrowed as she looked around the corridor that they were in. "Why was I in my room?"

"You said you were changing out of that gown you wore to the UNIT Christmas Ball," he answered, looking troubled at her lack of recollection. "We are going to Blackpool, remember? Somewhere fun?"

"Blackpool? Right," said Rose, letting the Doctor lead her out into the console room. "Are we there?"

"Yes, but if you'd rather rest…" His words were cut off as the record player that was now permanently based in the console room started playing that song again.

Rose whirled around and looked at the record player with wide eyes. "That song…it was playing…"

"Irving Berlin?" asked the Doctor.

"Yeah, it was playing then too," she said.

"When?" he asked.

"In 1953," she said.

"Rose," said the Doctor with a worried look on his face. "I've never taken you to 1953, love."

"No, I…" Rose went silent as she stared at him with wide eyes. "What did you call me?" she asked, stumbling away from him.

"What? Rose…" he started to say but Rose cut him off with a sharp shake of her head.

"You called me 'love'. You never do that. Other things, yes, but never that," she said, edging away from him. "Who are you? What have you done with the Doctor?"

"I am the Doctor," he said, his face suspiciously smooth.

Rose shook her head insistently. "Tell me who you are!" she said, not caring that her voice had risen loudly.

He opened his mouth but then snapped it shut, dropping all pretence. Rose watched him with tense eyes as his image shimmered and he was replaced by a taller, older man dressed as a Mandarin. The TARDIS console around them dissolved as well until they were standing inside a black nothingness.

"Well, well, well," he said, his voice holding a regal English tone. "You surpassed my expectations, Miss Tyler."

"Who are you?" Rose asked, feeling some semblance of fear that rose instinctually in her heart at the sight of him.

"I have many names. The Mandarin, the Celestial Toymaker, the Guardian of Dreams, but I suppose you would better know me as the Crystal Guardian," he said, smiling benignly at her.

Rose's eyes went wide. "We don't have the Key anymore," she said, knowing that the Crystal Guardian had allied himself with the Black Guardian.

His smile widened. "Oh, I am aware of that," he said. "You see, Rose…may I call you Rose?" Without waiting for her answer, he continued ahead. "You see, Rose, the Black Guardian and I had no interest in the Key to Time. Yes, it is a rather useful thing but gaining it was never our aim."

"Then what was?" asked Rose, feeling dread growing in the pit of her stomach. "What do you want?"

"That, my dear Rose, is something that you will learn in time," he said. "Now. I believe you wanted to know where the Doctor was."

Rose looked surprised that he would bring it up himself but the feeling of dread just worsened at his expectant look. She just gave a quick nod, hoping and praying that he hadn't harmed the Doctor.

The Crystal Guardian waved his hand carelessly and an image brightened through the darkness as if a screen had been switched on. Rose waited for the bright light to die down and as her eyes adjusted, she felt her mouth fall open. It was the Doctor but he was locked in a passionate, naked embrace with a beautiful blonde woman. Rose couldn't see her face at first but as she moved in closer, she felt her heart practically skip a beat.

It was her. Rose was seeing herself, wrapped in the Doctor's arms, kissing him with great passion. She started to feel dizzy at the sheer impossibility of it all. Had the Crystal Guardian fooled the Doctor into thinking he was with Rose, just as he had tried to make her think that he was the Doctor?

She turned to look at the Crystal Guardian who rolled his eyes. "It is not you," he said. "Well, not exactly. Her name is Arkytior."

Rose's heart stuttered in her chest. "And that's not the Doctor, is it? It's the Other," she said, her voice very quiet.

"Good, but not quite," said the Guardian. "In the original timeline, it was the Other. But rather than engage in _ahem_ amorous activities, he left for a meeting in the Citadel on this day and left her alone in their home."

Rose was silent for a moment as she processed his words but then the penny dropped and she stared at him with horrified eyes. "Original timeline? You're rewriting time?!" she shrieked.

"But of course," he said, like it was the obvious thing to do. "It was only a simple matter of replacing the Other with the Doctor at that particular point in time. The rest will happen on its own. You see, Rose, that is the night that the Eternals finally found Arkytior alone and cast her into the vortex with a mortal life, and the very night that the Other jumped into the looms upon discovering the fate of his beloved."

Rose's vision swayed as she understood the implication of his words. He wasn't done though, since he kept going.

"But as time is being changed, the Eternals will arrive in just a matter of hours and find them in a lover's embrace. Instead of doing what they did before, they will simply murder those two. That, Rose Tyler, is how the time is being rewritten. The lovers shall die tonight in each others' arms."

"You can't!" Rose gasped, horrified at the very idea.

"Oh, do not fret," he said, trying for a comforting tone but only managing to sound smugger. "You shall still be born. As Rose Tyler even. Just without worrying about Fenric, Bad Wolf or Arkytior again."

"And without the Doctor, you mean," said Rose, glaring darkly at him.

"Well, I believe humans have a saying that you cannot have everything in life," said the Crystal Guardian.

"If the Doctor dies then, he will never have existed," said Rose, her brain working furiously. "All those people and planets he has saved over the years…none of that will have happened."

"You mean the universe shall continue without his interference," said the Crystal Guardian. "Just as it should have."

"So that's what it's all about? Getting rid of the Doctor entirely?" demanded Rose angrily.

"Oh yes," said the Crystal Guardian. "The Black Guardian and I, we thrive on chaos. The Doctor has been entirely too responsible in thwarting chaos all over the cosmos. It is time that we were rid of him."

"Like hell!" snapped Rose. "I won't let you do this!"

"Perhaps you should start thinking about how you are planning to actually stop me," said the Guardian, sounding almost amused.

Rose snapped her mouth shut but fumed silently. There had to be a way but how was she supposed to go against the Guardians? The Crystal Guardian was currently watching her smugly, with an air of victory about him. Rose took a deep breath, letting her brain process the events that had happened so far. Different realities where she and the Doctor were not who they really were. Nothing quite in common, except…

"The song," said Rose. "Why the song?"

"Pardon?" asked the Crystal Guardian.

Rose didn't answer, she had seen that her question had surprised him. His expression became warier, though he tried to control his reaction. But Rose had seen enough. Closing her eyes, she focused on the song that she had only heard a few times before now.

She didn't know what she expected to happen but she started to feel the now-familiar tilt of the world. She heard the Crystal Guardian scream in fury but Rose kept running the song lyrics over and over in her head, some instinct within her asking her to keep up with it.

The Crystal Guardian's screams became fainter and fainter as 'Blue Skies' kept playing in Rose's mind. She felt the air around her change and knew she had escaped that void space where the Crystal Guardian had taken her.

At the same time, in the void space, the Crystal Guardian stopped his screams and rolled his eyes before allowing a triumphant smile to grace his face as he saw Rose Tyler disappear. "Walk into my parlour," he murmured silkily. "Said the spider to the fly."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. So, what did you think?**

**Of course it wasn't as simple as escaping the Guardian with a song. You'll see what happens next.**

**So, we had the perpetrator behind it revealed. We also got the story on the Other and Arkytior. This chapter was so much fun to write.**

**The next chapter will still focus on Rose as she tries to stop the Guardians from rewriting time. Consider how the Guardians were able to replace the Doctor and the Other, and I am quite sure you'll have the rest of the picture.**

**Part 3 will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	27. Different Beginnings: The Other

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. Glad to know that you guys are having just as much fun reading this as I am writing it.**

**Part 3 of 'Different Beginnings' and focuses on the Other as you can guess from the titles. As always, feel free to ask anything that is unclear.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Different Beginnings: The Other**

_Previously_

_Closing her eyes, she focused on the song that she had only heard a few times before now._

_She didn't know what she expected to happen but she started to feel the now-familiar tilt of the world. She heard the Crystal Guardian scream in fury but Rose kept running the song lyrics over and over in her head, some instinct within her asking her to keep up with it._

_The Crystal Guardian's screams became fainter and fainter as 'Blue Skies' kept playing in Rose's mind. She felt the air around her change and knew she had escaped that void space where the Crystal Guardian had taken her._

_At the same time, in the void space, the Crystal Guardian stopped his screams and rolled his eyes before allowing a triumphant smile to grace his face as he saw Rose Tyler disappear. "Walk into my parlour," he murmured silkily. "Said the spider to the fly."_

Rose's head felt a bit heavy and she didn't have a chance to gauge her surroundings before her knees buckled and her vision swam. She extended her hand in front of her to find something to steady herself and encountered a cold pole of some sort. Through her blurry vision, she realised that it was a lamppost. Holding onto it tightly, she tried to steady her breathing and clear her vision.

Moments passed and her head thankfully stopped spinning. She straightened up and looked around herself. A shiver ran down her spine when she realised that she was on one of the piers in Blackpool and that she was completely and utterly alone. The carousels, rolllercoaster, big wheel, and various rides were still working with their twinkly bright lights and cheerful music but there was not a soul in sight.

Rose remembered a nightmare she'd frequently had and this one was eerily like it. An amusement park where all the little games and rides were working but there was no one there except her. The more she tried to get out, the deeper she would get trapped in it.

But she hadn't had this nightmare in years, certainly not since she had met the Doctor. From what she could remember, she would go through the exit arch and find herself entering the fair again and again until she woke up screaming. However, she was not a child anymore, and there was the Doctor's entire existence at stake.

With a determined look upon her face, she started to walk through the fair, keeping an eye out for anything that looked as if it wouldn't belong there. All the while, the carousels moved, the lights blinked and the music played on. Rose reached the exit arch and realised that she hadn't encountered anything anomalous during her exploration. She was debating whether or not to attempt going through the arch when the lights around her dimmed, leaving only the rollercoaster brightly illuminated.

Rose had been to Blackpool only once but she had no idea if there was a rollercoaster of the sort that she was seeing anywhere near it. It was massive, with twinkling red, blue and golden lights, and was playing 'Blue Skies'. She knew it was very likely that she was walking straight into a trap but she was also out of options.

She walked towards the rollercoaster and saw that the ticket booth was bolted from the outside. To her great surprise, there was a man inside it, who had his head dropped into his hands. Rose would recognise that silhouette anywhere. Quickly, Rose slid the bolt from the door and opened it.

The man looked up at her in great surprise. "Rose!" he cried.

"Hello," she said, unwilling to call him the Doctor until she knew he was who he said he was.

He ran up to her and took both of her hands in his, and Rose was startled at their familiar coolness. "It worked! It actually worked!" he cried in delight.

"What did?" she asked him cautiously.

"The fob watch," he said like it was obvious. "Rassilon might have scoffed but I've proved it! A Time Lord consciousness can be contained in a fob watch. I can't wait to see his face when I've proven it."

Rose's heart sank when he mentioned Rassilon and talked about him in the present tense. She tried to muster up a smile but the Other was so animated that he barely noticed her reaction. "I remember what I said to you when I was John Smith," he said eagerly. "You seemed very shocked."

"I-I was, yeah," she said, her voice trembling a bit.

He finally stopped and peered at her. "Why do you look different?" he asked and then looked around at the booth. "I was not in here. I was...where was I?"

Rose brought his attention back to her by squeezing his hands. "The Guardians have trapped us," she said. "They've taken you out of your time and put...my friend, in your place," she said.

"Impossible," he declared. "Such a thing should be absolutely impossible. Yet," he slowed down and gazed at Rose. "Yet here you are. Just like my Arkytior, my Rose."

Rose unsuccessfully fought the blush at his gaze. "I'm not her," she said meekly. "Well, I don't think I am anyway."

"This friend of yours would not happen to be similar to me in appearance, would he?" he asked shrewdly. Rose gave a nod, and he lapsed into a thoughtful silence. "We have to get back to Gallifrey," he said, looking at her finally. "I have to get your friend out of there. On the way, you can explain to me how exactly you and he are identical to Arkytior and I."

"How are we gonna get to Gallifrey?" she asked, swallowing past the lump in her throat as she remembered the Crystal Guardian telling her the fate of the Other and Arkytior.

"My TARDIS," he said. "It was camouflaged as part of the house."

Rose was about to ask him how they were going to get there when the rollercoaster lights started to shut down. He looked up at it in alarm and grabbed her hand. "Run!" he commanded, pulling her behind him as they ran from the booth.

The fair outside was starting to go dark slowly and Rose realised that the darkness was actually starting to chase them. She increased her pace, keeping up with the Other as they reached the exit arch. Rose was about to warn him not to do it but when they ran into it, they came out onto the street. Just like the fair, it was completely empty and nothing like real Blackpool. A single, solitary house stood across from them and as the darkness gained on them, they broke out into a sprint towards it.

The Other pushed the door open and Rose recognised the house that she had woken up in that morning. She didn't pause to see it, being acutely aware of the darkness behind them. The Other fished his pockets for something but Rose reached around her neck and found the key on the chain.

He gazed at her in surprise as she ran to the locked closet and unlocked it. The TARDIS interior was something she had never seen. It was white, too clinical and bare, with a smaller console in the middle and not much else around it.

The Other entered behind her and in a way reminiscent of the Doctor, ran around the console, starting up the TARDIS to pilot them away. "I see," he murmured, as the TARDIS rotor started moving up and down.

"What?" asked Rose.

"It was a void pocket," said the Other, looking up from the readings. "The Guardians basically use it as a place to store the remnants of the rest of the universe. That was where they trapped us." Rose nodded, but was surprised to see him giving her an expectant look. "Well?"

"What?" she asked him warily.

"The key," he said. "How do you have the key to my TARDIS?"

Rose stared at him in surprise as it finally caught up to her that she had unlocked the Other's TARDIS with the key to the Doctor's TARDIS. She then remembered the Doctor telling her that he had stolen his TARDIS from the museum because she was an old ship and the only one that was unlocked. Now she had to wonder if there was something else that had made him choose her.

"Your friend doesn't just look like me, does he?" questioned the Other, and Rose was reminded sharply that he was one of the founders of the Time Lord society, hence brilliant.

"He's a Time Lord," she said quietly.

He nodded as if he had known that. "And you?"

"I am human," she answered truthfully.

He nodded again, but he looked very sad. "Then I suppose that what we dreaded really did happen. The Eternals found us."

It was Rose's turn to nod. "The Crystal Guardian told me that they intended to rewrite time so that the Eternals would find you and h-her together and kill you both instead of…"

"Instead of casting her out into the vortex," he said, his face hardening when he thought of his beloved being killed. "And the Time Lord? How would he...oh."

Rose stared at him, as realisation spread across his face at the prospect of his own fate. "I'm sorry," she said, not knowing what else it was that she could say.

He smiled such a heartbroken smile that Rose had to physically clench her fists to prevent herself from throwing her arms around him. "Just as well," he murmured. "There would be little purpose to go on without you."

_Oh, screw it_, she thought as she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. He held her tightly, and didn't let go until the TARDIS landed.

* * *

On Gallifrey, the Doctor and Arkytior were staring in great astonishment at the cabinet that had appeared in the room. They had got dressed a while ago, having not done much except kissing.

"No time for explanations. We have to hurry," said the Other as he rushed out of the TARDIS. "You, leave," he told the Doctor, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Rassilon," murmured the Doctor in shock.

The Other rolled his eyes. "No, actually, I am…"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor's gaze snapped towards the TARDIS and he rushed up to Rose and hugged her. "Rose, Rose, Rose," he chuckled, twirling her around.

"Hope this is real because I can't take any more illusions," she mumbled into his neck. "What are you wearing?" she asked, looking down at the red and orange robes.

He blushed a little. "Only things I could find. I, er, didn't exactly wake up with clothes."

Rose raised her eyebrows and looked behind him. The Other's fingers were touched to Arkytior's temple and both of them had their eyes were closed. To Rose, it somehow looked more intimate than if they had been shagging. She looked at the Doctor, who was blushing darker now and looking anywhere but at them.

"How do you two look alike?" Rose asked the Doctor in a whisper. "Out of all your regenerations."

"Because he met you," the Other answered, opening his eyes but still looking at Arkytior who had tears in her eyes.

The Doctor didn't answer but he knew that everything in his regeneration had been in anticipation of meeting Rose, whether he had been aware of it or not until now. His TARDIS had even landed in Rose Alley in San Francisco where he had died in his seventh life. A mere day later he had met Rose in his new body.

Arkytior finally tore her gaze away from the Other and looked at the Doctor and Rose. "You must go now," she said.

"Can't we do anything?" asked Rose, feeling helpless knowing that those two were going to die soon.

Arkytior chuckled at her kindly. "Did you not just prevent all that?" she asked gently.

Rose went pink. "Right," she mumbled.

"It is alright," said Arkytior softly. "Seeing the two of you now, well, we do know that our love does not end with our lives today."

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other before shaking their heads quickly. "Oh no," said Rose, at once. "We're not…"

"Rose and I are friends," said the Doctor, though he sounded much less convincing than Rose.

The Other and Arkytior stared at them like they were both mad. "Right," said the Other finally, exchanging a look with Arkytior. "I suppose our time is up. I would like to say goodbye to my wife before I head to the Citadel."

"Of course," said the Doctor. "Come on, Rose."

"How are we going to leave?" asked Rose.

"The TARDIS," he said, nodding towards the cabinet that they had arrived in.

"But," said Rose, confused.

"I know it's her," he said, tapping the side of his head. He turned back to the Other and gave a slight nod. His eyes softened as he looked at Arkytior, who smiled a little.

Rose was unsure how to react but she waved uncertainly at the two of them before following the Doctor into the TARDIS. A surprised gasp escaped her when she saw that the console room was their own and not the bare, white one from before. The Doctor just smiled mysteriously at her gasp as he started to pilot them away.

The grinding noise of the TARDIS sounded heavier and sluggish as the rotor began to move but the Doctor did not look too worried as he calmly pressed the buttons and flipped levers. Rose felt like she was going to collapse any moment because she'd had her mind pulled in so many directions that she wasn't even sure which way to turn anymore.

"Of course, the question remains," spoke up the Doctor, still staring at the console. "How did they make me swap places with the Other?"

"I dunno," said Rose. "I woke up on Earth, well, I thought it was Earth anyway. I think they made him think that he was experimenting with a fob watch or something."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he looked at her. "It was one of his key discoveries. They must have simply made him relive it, but where were you if not on Earth?"

Rose opened her mouth to answer when the TARDIS rotor came to a halt and the lights dimmed. The Doctor's jaw clenched as he walked over to Rose and clutched her hand tightly. Rose could feel her own anger building as they waited for the Guardians to reveal themselves.

The Crystal Guardian materialised first, and then to their greatest surprise, he was followed by the Red, Gold and Azure Guardians. Rose felt her mouth drop open in shock, but before she could say anything, the White and the Black Guardian arrived in the console room.

"I see," said the Doctor, in the same tone that Rose remembered had come from the Other. "There was no war, was there?"

"No, there was not, Doctor," said the White Guardian calmly.

"There would have been easier ways to kill me, you know," said the Doctor coldly.

"Killing you, Doctor," the Black Guardian said nastily. "That was never the plan. Your people have an infernal habit of returning from the dead. Not to mention that you have had your uses over the years."

"Then why?" the Doctor asked in a calm voice that betrayed the storm brewing beneath it. "Why go to all this trouble? What could possibly be so important that all the Guardians had to band together? What was it all for?"

"It had nothing to do with you, Doctor," said the Gold Guardian before her eyes moved slowly to Rose. "It did, however, have everything to do with her."

"Me?" questioned Rose, shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"By all means, Miss Tyler, you should not exist. The Eternals should have killed Arkytior. She was too volatile, too blinded by her love for the Time Lord to do what was expected of her," said the Azure Guardian stiffly.

"What was expected of her?" asked Rose, feeling dread settle in the area of her stomach.

"She was a manifestation of Time, and it was her duty to obey it," said the Red Guardian calmly.

"Which was what, precisely?" asked the Doctor.

"She was sent by Fenric to kill the Time Lord. And the fool fell in love with him," snarled the Crystal Guardian.

"We would have left Miss Tyler alone, but then you met her and we saw history starting to repeat itself," said the White Guardian sadly. "We could not allow it to happen."

"Fenric may not be around anymore but the Guardians still are," said the Azure Guardian. "We had to stop it."

"But you failed," said the Doctor cautiously, rather aware that the Guardians did not look as if their plan had failed.

"Oh no we have not," the Black Guardian said as if the Doctor was missing a big joke. "Look at her, Doctor."

The Doctor's jaw clenched. "She's fine," he said, assuring both himself and Rose.

The Black Guardian's nasty grin widened. "Is she really, Doctor?" the Guardian asked. "Look carefully."

Rose genuinely thought that it was impossible but her feeling of dread grew even more than it already had. "Doctor?" she asked.

The Doctor's eyes roamed over her before he went pale with fear. "No," he whispered, his hand leaving Rose's.

"Doctor? Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked, feeling terrified at the way he was looking at her and the way he had moved away from her.

The Black Guardian laughed loudly and the sinister laugh echoed around them as he vanished.

"We are sorry, Miss Tyler," said the White Guardian as he too vanished. The rest of the Guardians followed him, their expressions ranging from regret to indifference.

The Doctor stared at Rose with pain, fear and regret etched onto his face. "Oh Rose," he said. "I am sorry. I am so, so sorry."

* * *

**A/N Wow, that was a long chapter. And I just know how much you guys love cliffhangers!**

**There is still one more chapter to go in this adventure. So, what did you think?**

**The part about the TARDIS landing in Rose Alley is actually canon and was pointed out by MagnaEsquire. Thanks for that!**

**So, the Guardians basically manipulated them into assembling the Key and then used it to try and rewrite time which was essentially a cover-up for a way to get rid of Rose. Sounds like the Guardians, considering that they cannot directly interfere, only influence events.**

**Any questions you have, I'll be happy to answer. The final part will be up soon and will deal with what happens to Rose. Any guess as to the people that will be appearing in the next chapter?**

**See you soon!**

**~ Phoenix**


	28. Different Beginnings: The Time Lords

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response/outraged exclamations at the cliffhanger for the last chapter. The explanation is here, I promise. The final part of 'Different Beginnings' and an end of sorts to the Key to Time and the Guardian Arc.**

**Plus, an important A/N at the end.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Different Beginnings: The Time Lords**

_Previously_

_"Doctor? Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked, feeling terrified at the way he was looking at her and the way he had moved away from her._

_The Black Guardian laughed loudly and the sinister laugh echoed around them as he vanished._

_"We are sorry, Miss Tyler," said the White Guardian as he too vanished. The rest of the Guardians followed him, their expressions ranging from regret to indifference._

_The Doctor stared at Rose with pain, fear and regret etched onto his face. "Oh Rose," he said. "I am sorry. I am so, so sorry."_

"Doctor, you are scaring me," said Rose, her voice wobbling slightly at the look of utter horror and regret in the Doctor's eyes.

"Rose, oh Rose," said the Doctor as he swiftly crossed the distance between them and crushed her to his chest. His grip on her was desperate; so different than usual that Rose's fear multiplied. "It will be alright."

"Doctor," said Rose sharply, at the end of her patience. "What has happened to me?"

The Doctor sighed as he pulled away just enough to look at her face. "The Guardians trapped you in a void pocket, didn't they?" At Rose's nod, he sighed. "A cosmic abyss like that gives off a particular type of radiation."

Rose gasped. "Like the one we get from travelling in the TARDIS?" she asked.

"No, not quite," said the Doctor. "This radiation is not meant for ephemerals like us. Prolonged exposure, particularly if entered into the pocket voluntarily can be..." he paused and shook his head.

"Can be what?" asked Rose, her eyes going wide as she remembered that she had indeed gone in voluntarily to save the timelines. "Am I contaminated?"

One look at the Doctor's face told her what she needed to know. Her arms fell slack from around him as she stumbled away from him. "Rose..." said the Doctor, looking pained as she withdrew away from him.

"Am I going to die?" she asked in a small voice, looking at him.

"No, of course not," said the Doctor, walking up to her and taking her hands. "The contamination is not affecting you."

Rose gasped and moved away from him again quickly. "Am I infecting you then?" she asked, sounding horrified at the thought.

"No," said the Doctor, closing the distance between them again. "The damage is..."

_CLANG_

The Doctor's eyes went wide. Rose wondered what the sound was when it rang again. _CLANG_. It sounded like a bell.

"What is that?" Rose asked.

"The Cloister Bell," said the Doctor. "Imminent disaster."

"It's because of me, isn't it?" Rose guessed. "Am I hurting the TARDIS?" she asked, looking like she was considering running.

_CLANG_

"Of course not," he assured her. "It's not the TARDIS. It's the universe."

Rose gazed at him in horror. The Doctor was about to say something, perhaps to reassure her, when the rotor started moving again.

The Doctor's jaw clenched in anger and his grip on her hand tightened. Rose tried not to flinch as she felt the desperation and anger in his grip.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"We're being recalled," he said. "Back to Gallifrey."

"What are they going to do to me?" asked Rose.

The Doctor flinched at her blunt question. "Rose..."

"Please," said Rose, begging him just this once to tell her the truth.

He cupped her cheek with his left hand and drew her close. "The contamination is not permanent, Rose," he said, looking at her with absolute honesty. "I will convince them to think of an alternative."

"An alternative to killing me?" Rose guessed.

The Doctor winced at her phrasing but nodded. "I won't let them hurt you," he promised her. The TARDIS landed but the Doctor did not let go of her. "Everything is going to be alright," he said.

When Rose gave a disbelieving look at the impossibility of that, he leaned forward and kissed her mouth softly. Rose was too startled to respond but the Doctor pulled away just as suddenly as he had kissed her. Rose expected him to brush it off but he smiled tenderly at her and wiped off the tear marks on her cheek with his thumbs. "Ready?" he asked.

Rose drew in a deep breath and linked her hand firmly with his. Holding her head up high, she nodded even though she was not even in the same galaxy as ready. "Ready," she said.

"Doctor, on the Order of the Chancellery Guard of the…"

"…of the Time Lords of Gallifrey and the High Council, I am expected to exit my capsule along with my companion, Miss Rose Tyler. I know," said the Doctor, as he and Rose stepped out hand in hand. There was a whole host of guards waiting for them, their faces cold and unamused. "Well, look at that Rose, we get the entire Honour Guard to escort us."

"Doctor," spoke Andred. "This way."

The Doctor opened his mouth, perhaps ready with another impudent response but Rose squeezed his hand and he fell silent. "Lead the way, Andred," he said.

The rest of the Guard followed the Doctor and Rose as Andred led them through the Capitol building. Rose could feel herself trembling, and the Doctor was radiating tension in waves by the time they arrived outside a pair of gilded double doors. Andred came to a halt before them and turned back to look at the Doctor and Rose in turn.

"The Council awaits you," he announced grimly as two of his guards stepped forward and opened the doors in an efficient manner. Andred nodded at them to enter. The Doctor's eyes narrowed before setting into a blank mask as he squeezed Rose's hand and led the way inside.

If Rose hadn't been so nervous and practically shaking with fear, she would have noticed that the courtroom that they were in was magnificent. But all she could see was the Time Lords in their majestic regalia looking at them with cold, hostile looks. Romana sat at the head of the High Table dressed in a robe of red and gold, her face extremely grave. There were Time Lords and Ladies on either side of her but Rose only recognised Irving Braxiatel, the Doctor's brother, sitting on her immediate right. His face was completely expressionless.

"I am flattered. We get a full court for a trial," said the Doctor when the doors behind them were closed. Rose realised that they were in a box meant for the accused and there was an identical box right opposite them. A single Time Lord sat there and Rose was startled when she recognised him as Vansell, the Time Lord who had arrested the Rani.

"This is not a trial, Doctor," said Romana, her voice extremely solemn. "Lord Vansell?"

Vansell stood up and gave a bow towards her. "Thank you, Madam President," he said, radiating smugness in degrees. "The matter is quite simple. The girl is a danger to this universe. We have to get rid of her before she damages the fabric of time any more than she already has."

Rose seethed and longed to snap at Vansell for talking about her like she was some sort of an animal to be put down. The Doctor's warning hand at her back was the only thing that stopped her. Romana had grimaced at his words too, though she tried hard to control it. "I see," she said. "Doctor?" she asked, turning to him.

"I think I would like to know how much the Time Lords are aware of the circumstances surrounding Miss Rose Tyler in this event," said the Doctor, sounding just as grand as Vansell as he challenged them.

Vansell raised an eyebrow but at a nod from Romana, he addressed the Doctor. "Our sensors picked up the contamination immediately. It has already started to corrupt the web of time."

"So, you are unaware that the Guardians of Time interfered?" asked the Doctor, sounding a tad smug.

Whispers broke out all over the courtroom. Vansell's grin slid off as he stared at the Doctor coldly. Romana snapped out of her surprise and called for silence. Next to her, Braxiatel smiled a little before his face became expressionless again.

"I think we need to hear a full account of the events surrounding this incident," said Romana. "Perhaps the Matrix?"

"There is not enough time for that, my lady," said Braxiatel smoothly and Rose felt the Doctor relax. She knew that the Matrix was the collective Time Lord wisdom and viewing it would have revealed everything about the Doctor, the Other and Arkytior.

Romana gave a nod. "A verbal account then, Doctor," she said imperiously.

The Doctor gave a nod and relayed the story of the Guardians making them assemble the Key to Time. "When they had the Key," he continued. "They used it to rewrite time."

"How?" asked Romana.

"They went back to the time of our founders," said the Doctor, choosing his words carefully. "They were about to rewrite Gallifrey's history."

Rose had to work hard not to react to that. It was a lie but she supposed that killing the Other and not having the Doctor ever born was indeed rewriting Gallifrey's history.

"How does the girl come into this?" asked Vansell impatiently.

"Miss Tyler stopped them from doing so," said the Doctor, looking coldly at Vansell. "She risked her life when she went through that void pocket and it was because she did it voluntarily that it has infused her with such an intense dose of radiation."

Murmurs broke out over the courtroom as the Time Lords were now looking at Rose curiously. Vansell appeared to be thinking rather quickly. "Why would the Guardians go to such troubles to rewrite our history?" he questioned over the murmurs.

"An excellent question," said the Doctor glibly. "Perhaps you should ask them."

Vansell's nostrils flared in anger but Romana interrupted before he could snap back. "Doctor. Answer the question," she said.

The Doctor sighed. "They felt it was important to get rid of Miss Tyler because just like us, they are aware of her uniqueness," he said.

"That being her timelines?" clarified Romana.

"Yes," said the Doctor. "The Guardians are rather wary of the unexpected and Miss Tyler has the misfortune of being one of the most unexpected people in the universe. The Guardians are manipulating events around her, perhaps out of fear or something else that we are not aware of, and if we let her die now then they would have won."

There was silence following his pronouncement. Rose started to feel a bit optimistic when Vansell suddenly relaxed. "Doctor, your account is sound," he said. "But you have just given us more reason to proceed with this execution."

Rose's mouth fell open in shock while the Doctor glared at him. Vansell allowed himself a small smile before continuing.

"If the Guardians want her out of the way, would it not be better to abide by their wishes? We are in no position to go to war with them. Over a_ human_, no less," he said in an oily voice.

A few Time Lords started nodding in agreement. Rose could see a muscle twitching in the Doctor's jaw but even she had to admit that Vansell had a point.

"Doctor," she murmured quietly. "Maybe…"

"No," he said firmly.

Rose opened her mouth indignantly but Romana called for silence again. She appeared to be steeling herself, and Rose knew that she saw no other way but to sentence her to execution. Rose closed her eyes.

"Perhaps," came Braxiatel's quiet voice. "There can be another way."

Rose's eyes snapped open as she stared at the Doctor's brother. His face was smooth, betraying no emotion.

"Which would be what, Cardinal Braxiatel?" asked Vansell warily.

"The conventional way of dealing with a contamination," said Braxiatel simply. "Quarantine."

The Doctor's stance straightened up considerably at that but Rose had no idea what he was talking about, short of either hospitalising her or locking her up.

"An appropriate planet in a universe not unlike this one can easily be used to safely house Miss Tyler until the contamination is no longer permanent," said Braxiatel.

Romana looked very relieved as she nodded at once. "Start the search for an appropriate universe at once, Cardinal Braxiatel. Do you have a planet that you prefer, Miss Tyler?" she asked.

"Earth," answered the Doctor before Rose could.

Romana looked at Braxiatel who nodded immediately and started tapping on the small silver computer tablet in his hand. "Am I to understand that you will be joining her, Doctor?" asked Romana.

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"No," said Rose at once. When all eyes, including the Doctor's, turned to her in surprise, she blushed but stayed determined. "I am fine with staying on one planet and all but I'm not trapping him too," she said firmly.

"I am not abandoning you in a new universe on your own," said the Doctor, equally defiant. "Travel can wait."

"Actually," interjected Braxiatel. "You will have no problem with time travel. It's only that space travel would have to be restricted to Earth, or at least that solar system."

"Then why can't I just stay on Earth in this universe?" asked Rose, her heart twisting painfully at the thought of it. But she was not going to let the Doctor be confined to one planet. She still remembered his Third self's annoyance at being exiled.

Romana inhaled deeply. "Once you go into the parallel universe, we will be sealing that one solar system off from the rest of the multiverse. It will only be opened once the contamination no longer threatens us all," she explained patiently.

"What about my mum?" asked Rose.

The Doctor squeezed her hand. "You won't be able to see her," he said apologetically. "Not even phone calls. The walls will be sealed off."

Rose felt dizzy as she digested that. "For how long?" she asked finally.

"We cannot be certain how long the contamination will last for," said Braxiatel quietly. "Could be weeks, months, years." He paused and looked at Rose. "Could be centuries."

Rose chuckled humourlessly. "You mean I could die and my mum would have no idea," she said.

There was silence following it and Rose got the confirmation she needed. She looked at the Doctor, who was gazing at her with great sorrow and compassion. Rose felt tears gathering in her eyes as she looked away miserably.

Romana cleared her throat. "If you have a message for her, we could deliver it to Earth," she offered.

Rose looked up at her friend and gave a watery smile. "Thank you, but it's okay," she said. "If the contamination goes away, can I go and see her just weeks after my last visit?"

"Of course," nodded Romana.

Rose nodded back, feeling heartened. If she didn't survive, she would give the message to the Doctor to take back to her mother. She knew it was probably a bit selfish but if there was even a slight chance that the contamination would be cured in her lifetime, she wanted her mum to hold out hope that Rose would return. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet.

"I have found an appropriate parallel world," said Braxiatel, breaking the silence.

Romana nodded and glanced at them. "We will ensure the transfer of your TARDIS into the parallel world, Doctor," she said. "If you would like to board."

The Doctor looked at Rose, who gave a nod. "Thank you," the Doctor said to the court, but it was obvious he was talking to his brother and Romana.

Vansell, who had quiet this whole time, caught Castellan Ortan's eye and nodded towards the exit on the other side of the courtroom. The Doctor and Rose were being escorted back to the Doctor's ship, and the rest of the Time Lords were dispersing back to their own duties.

"That did not go as expected," said Castellan Ortan quietly as he and Vansell walked down the corridor together.

"No, it did not," said Vansell. "There is more to that girl than we have been led to believe. Why else would the Guardians be so interested in an _ape_?"

"Perhaps," said the Castellan, casting a look around to ensure that no one was listening. "We should finish the task either way."

Vansell nodded quietly. "I suppose, I shall go and see the new Lord Burner. Do you know who it is?"

Castellan looked at Vansell with slight contempt. "Nobody is aware of who the Lord Burner is except the President, and I do not see her agreeing to this."

"No, but I am aware that exceptions can be made to every rule. It's a Prydonian's prerogative, Castellan," said Vansell with a small smile. "Rest easy. The Lord Burner shall take care of the girl."

* * *

Rose felt quite numb as she and the Doctor returned to the TARDIS. She could feel the Doctor's concerned gaze on her but she was in no position to reply to it. She sat down in her armchair near the fireplace and watched as the Doctor stood near the console, not quite touching it.

The rotor started moving and the Doctor gritted his teeth as the Time Lords transported them both to a parallel Earth. Behind him, he heard a quiet sob and felt his hearts break just a little. The rotor went still and the Doctor knew that they had arrived. He turned his back on the console and walked towards Rose.

She quickly tried to wipe her tears, hoping he wouldn't notice. The Doctor knelt before her and offered his hand. Rose looked a bit confused but placed her hand in his. His lips quirked lightly in a small smile as he pulled her to her feet.

Wordlessly, Rose followed and watched as the Doctor fiddled with the record player. 'In a Dream' started to play and the Doctor guided her hand on his shoulder and held the other one between his hearts with one of his. His other hand went to her waist and pulled her closer until her head was against his chest.

Gently, he began to move them in time with the music with slow, almost sensual movements. Rose let her eyes fall close as she remembered the two of them dancing like this before they had gone to the UNIT ball. It had only been about a day ago but it seemed like eons had passed between then and now.

She finally felt the events catching up to her and with the Doctor's reassuring hearts beating under her ear, Rose Tyler wept.

* * *

**A/N End of #7 'Different Beginnings'. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what did you think? I did mention in the summary of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' that there would be interfering Time Lords and parallel universes, didn't I? This was always how the arc was going to end.**

**As I previously said, the Guardians would only influence events and in this case, they would have basically used the Time Lords to do their dirty work. Anyway, the Doctor and Rose have now been shipped off to a parallel world and are restricted to travelling on and around Earth only. But Vansell is sending the Lord Burner after them, which is basically an assassin. Fun times ahead.**

**I did have a question for you guys though. There are two ways that the rest of the story will go and it all depends on whether or not I write a sequel to this one. So, my question is: Do you want to see a sequel story to 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'? **

**I am going to put up a poll on my profile to get an idea of numbers and if enough people want it, I am willing to write another story with a further 13 adventures. Be quick in your answers though since I would have to start planning at once.**

**The next adventure is called 'New Earth' and will have the Doctor and Rose's first adventure in the parallel world. Part 1 will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	29. New Earth: London

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thank you for the tremendous response on the last story and my question about the sequel. A resounding 94% of you voted to have a sequel, and I have decided to definitely write a sequel story to this. Plus, we are nearing 500 reviews to this story too! Thank you so much for all that!**

**Here is Part 1 of #8 New Earth. A new world, a new adventure and a new companion as well. Anything you recognise comes from the Eighth Doctor Adventure Novel 'The Taint'.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**New Earth: London**

Fitzgerald Michael Kreiner was having a regular, crummy day that was usual for him. He was already on his fifth cigarette and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. Batty old Mrs Simms, his boss, had broken her hip last week which meant that Fitz was left working alone at the godforsaken flower shop. So far he'd entertained three pointless conversations with three equally pointless people and he was ready to drop a bag of compost on the next person to make a stupid remark about the sunny day or the pretty flowers.

The only good part of the day had been that he'd been allowed to smoke while he worked. Mrs Simms wouldn't let him get away with it but since he was the only one around, it wasn't like he could get told off for it. He took a long drag of his cigarette and resisted the urge to scowl as a middle-aged woman with an unnaturally cheerful smile entered the shop.

Casting a longing look at the bag of compost, Fitz put out his cigarette and plastered his best charming smile on his face. "Good afternoon," he greeted the woman with a cheery wink.

The woman blushed and giggled at his charming smile and wink, making him want to roll his eyes. "Good afternoon, young man," she said. "Now, I was wondering if you could help me."

_I'd rather cover myself in compost and jump into a hole full of worms_, he thought but gave a quick grin instead. "That's what I am here for, madam," he said.

"I wanted to buy a gnome for my garden," she said.

"Of course, right over here," he said, leading her over to a shelf full of those tiny bastards with their frozen smiles and creepy eyes. Fitz wasn't afraid of them; he just couldn't see the point of keeping those shifty little bastards in your garden. Of course, Fitz hadn't ever lived in a house fit to have a garden so he was not speaking from experience but he honestly didn't get the appeal.

The woman, on the other hand, practically jumped with happiness upon seeing the shelf full of gnomes. "Oh these are lovely," she squealed, picking up the creepiest one in Fitz's opinion. "It's like out of a RJ Tolkien novel."

"JRR," he corrected, mentally patting himself for not rolling his eyes.

"Pardon?" asked the woman, looking up from her perusal of the gnome.

"JR," he said again.

"Oh? Is there a RJ Tolkien Jr. too? That is so neat," she said excitedly.

Fitz put on his best conspiratorial smile and beckoned her closer. "Yes, RJ conceived him in France after a month long affair with a prostitute named Frodo."

The woman gave a shocked gasp. "My word," she said, her eyes as wide as coins. "The things you learn about these people." And just like that, the floodgates opened as the woman started complaining about the artistic types and their loose morals, getting in a few digs about Fitz's long hair and leather jacket too. By the time the woman left, Fitz was beginning to feel that throwing a bag of compost at her was the least he ought to have done.

The clock ticked its way over to midday, and Fitz grinned as he put up the 'Closed for Lunch' sign on the shop before stepping out. He walked down the road to the chippy with his guitar slung over his back. It wasn't as if he was going to play it but as he smiled at the passing brunette who giggled at him, he knew it was worth it.

He took the long way back to the flower shop after his lunch, not particularly eager to get back to work. He'd worked in that place for over two years now after his regular gig down at the pub on Mercer Street had gone down to only three days a week. It wasn't that he was bad; Fitz knew he was plenty good but Molly had been running low on cash and business wasn't exactly booming. Fitz still filled in occasionally when there was no entertainment and Molly repaid him in drinks if she didn't have the cash. All in all, it wasn't a bad arrangement, he thought as he reached the shop.

Business was always quiet in this part of the town right after lunch, so Fitz was surprised to see a blonde looking at the flower arrangements in the window. Fitz thanked the heavens every day that he didn't have to do them; some girl named Clarissa would come in the mornings to do it before Fitz got there.

The blonde, on the other hand, was staring at an arrangement of roses and baby's breath, (and didn't Fitz hate himself just a little for knowing that so exactly) with a sad look on her face. Fitz examined her tight blue jeans, the red jumper and black leather jacket that was much smaller and feminine than the one he was wearing, and smirked to himself. She was pretty.

"Can I help you, doll?" he asked with his best charming smile.

She jumped slightly at being spoken to but upon looking at Fitz, she gave a shake of her head. "No, I was just lookin'," she said, her accent almost exactly like Fitz's.

Her slightly dispassionate look made his smile dim but he didn't give up as he looked at her. "How about I open shop and you see if something catches your eye?" he offered.

She smiled a little at that and Fitz felt hope rise in his chest before she shook her head again. "That's nice of you, but I'm just waiting for my friend," she said.

"Friend," said Fitz, hoping she would elaborate and sighed when she didn't. "Well, alright then."

"Do you play?" she asked, nodding towards his guitar.

Fitz grinned; maybe she wasn't completely disinterested. "Yes, down at Molly's pub on Mercer Street," he said. "Fitz Fortune, at your service." He felt he should add a daft bow at the end but felt that she wouldn't find it charming as much as irritating. One thing that Fitz prided himself on was gauging how people would react; a habit borne out of having the stuffing knocked out of him on a regular basis when he was a kid.

"That ain't your real name though," she said, tilting her head at him.

"No, it ain't," he said, not offering anything else. Fitz hated his real name; he knew that it only took a moment for people to hear it and do the arithmetic in their head. A man in his twenties with a German last name in 1963? Must be a bastard born during the war to a Nazi father and a traitor English whore. Fitz had heard that and worse, so he didn't want to give any arsenal to this pretty blonde thing.

Her eyes turned sympathetic for a moment before she looked away, as if she was in some sort of pain too. Fitz would have loved to stay and chat but he needed to reopen the shop and get to work. He didn't want to lose his flat because the nosy hag at the newsagent's next door complained to Mrs Simms that he'd been slacking off on the job.

He walked past her and unlocked the door to the shop, taking the 'Closed' sign off as he did. Casting a last look at the blonde lost in her thoughts, Fitz Kreiner got to work.

* * *

Rose watched the man go back to work in the flower shop and sighed. She hadn't meant to sound so accusing when talking to him. The past three days in this new universe had been stressful, to say the least. They hadn't had a chance to go anywhere; the Time Lords had dropped them in London 1963 and the Doctor had so far spent an awful amount of time calibrating the TARDIS systems to fit this universe.

Rose gave sigh and ran a hand over the new leather jacket that the TARDIS had left in her room for her. She reckoned that the TARDIS must have guessed that Rose needed a change and she had to admit that she was feeling slightly better with the new clothes. The pink hoodies and baggy jeans would have to be left behind for now, as were the ratty sneakers. The new black military boots would take some time to break in but like the leather and the new clothes, it was beginning to feel more like her. Even her hair was longer, because Rose had been meaning to get her mum to give it a trim when they visited her. But now, she couldn't bear the thought of letting someone else do it.

When she had been standing in front of the flower shop, Rose hadn't been staring at the flower arrangement at all. She had been looking at her own reflection, staring at the years in her eyes and wondering how it had taken her so long to notice how much she had changed from that shop girl in London.

Rose had no idea how long it would be until the contamination inside her wouldn't damage the original universe, if it would even happen in her lifetime. Till then, this was it.

"Rose!"

She turned around and smiled when she saw the Doctor waving at her. He smiled widely when he reached her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. That had been a new development. Rose had always thought that it would be monumental occasion when she and the Doctor got together but it had happened quietly and as naturally as breathing.

A gentle kiss before bed, upon waking up, after breakfast, after morning tea...until it just became normal. Or whatever passed for normal when it came to them. No one had been more surprised than Rose when the Doctor had been the first one to initiate the kiss but she soon became comfortable with initiating the touch as well as reciprocating it thoroughly. In a span of three days, they had gone from being best friends to, well, the jury was out on what they were now.

Despite their relationship being more romantic than platonic, Rose was keenly aware that they hadn't had sex. The Doctor didn't push and Rose was afraid of what would happen if she did and he rejected her. Rose knew that she was fragile right now and the Doctor was the only thing she had in this universe. It wouldn't do for her to make things difficult between them.

In her worse moments, Rose wondered if they were involved because the Doctor felt like he owed her somehow or because of the connection of Arkytior and the Other. But then she'd hear him teasing her about her human habits and grumble when she ribbed him about his inability to change his wardrobe and Rose felt certain that they had fallen in love with each other long before they had known any different.

"Rose," he murmured as he broke the kiss.

Rose smiled as she planted a tiny peck on his nose before pulling away. "Did you get the scanner repaired?"

"Yes, it's now fully compatible with this universe," he said, taking her hand into his and leading her back the way she had come. "So, what did you want to do?"

Rose shrugged. "It's 1963," she said. "What's fun to do in 1963?"

"Nothing much, I'm afraid," he said. "It's the beginning of the Swinging Sixties, so I suppose the Beatles, miniskirts and drugs are in trend," he joked.

Rose gave a reluctant smile at that and bumped his shoulder with hers. "So, explain to me again how we can and can't interfere," she said.

The Doctor gave a sigh. "The Time Lords picked the universe most similar to the main one. So all the same rules apply to it. The only thing that's different about this world…"

"Is that I don't exist in it," finished Rose, feeling her good mood evaporate.

The Doctor frowned. "Rose, you were not born in any other universe but your own. Like me, like the Time Lords, you are the only one in the multiverse," he said sombrely.

Rose's brow furrowed. "So then what's different about this universe?" she asked.

"Jackie and your father don't exist in this universe, Rose," he said gently.

Rose felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes but she nodded determinedly. "What about universes where they do exist? Wouldn't they have children there?" she asked.

"Perhaps," he said, frowning as he considered it. "But they wouldn't be you."

"So, just me," she murmured to herself.

The Doctor stroked his thumb over their clasped hands. "Rose," he said seriously. "I am very…"

Rose cut him off by covering his mouth with her free hand. "Stop apologising to me," she chided gently. He'd been doing it an awful lot these past three days. "It's not your fault," she added, knowing that they had to clear this up right now. "I don't blame you. I never have and I never will."

The Doctor stared at her with wide eyes as she let her hand from his mouth fall. He had put her through hell, kept things close to his chest until she confronted him, got her trapped in a parallel world away from her mother and her friends, and she did not blame him. He had to tell her and he had to tell her now. "I love you, Rose Tyler," he said, so sincerely that Rose felt her heart positively skip a beat before starting to race.

She waited for the babbling to follow, waited for him to start muttering that he didn't mean it that way or it had just slipped out, but he didn't. He just sounded very happy, and very...in love.

Tears gathered in her eyes as Rose threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss full of love that she felt for him and the unbelievable joy she felt at his admission. "I love you, Doctor," she murmured when she broke the kiss, feeling rather than seeing his lips curve into a smile.

"Don't cry," he murmured as he wiped the tears from her cheek.

Rose giggled as a few more tears escaped her eyes. "No, they're happy tears, I promise," she said.

The Doctor smiled tenderly as he kissed both her cheeks and rubbed his nose against hers. "Come on, let's go back to the TARDIS. We have more than five billion years of Earth's history to explore. Say the time and I'll take you to it," he said.

"Can we go to the Falls of Sona again?" asked Rose, remembering the trip they had taken in the other universe to a bunch of natural hotsprings that had formed after the Earth's rebuilding in the 30th century. It had been after the Nira incident and the first time that Rose had realised that she might be falling in love with the Doctor.

"Your wish is my command, my lady," he said happily as he kissed her forehead and linked their hands together. Rose grinned at him and the two of them started their walk back to the TARDIS.

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. So, what did you think?**

**For those who don't know, Fitz Kreiner was Eight's longest serving companion in the novels. He was only in one audio and he was voiced by Matt Di Angelo but my personal face claim for Fitz has always been Ben Barnes.**

**Anyway, we got the Doctor and Rose. That was a LONG time coming. Don't worry, drama and monsters to follow soon.**

**Part 2 will be up soon. Let me know what you thought of this one.**

**~ Phoenix**


	30. New Earth: Something Wicked

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the amazing response on the last chapter. We passed 500 reviews! Thank you so much for that.**

**Here is Part 2 of 'New Earth'. As promised, monsters and mayhem ahead. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**New Earth: Something Wicked**

_Previously_

_"Can we go to the Falls of Sona again?" asked Rose, remembering the trip they had taken in the other universe to a bunch of natural hotsprings that had formed after the Earth's rebuilding in the 30th century. It had been after the Nira incident and the first time that Rose had realised that she was falling in love with the Doctor._

_"Your wish is my command, my lady," he said happily as he kissed her forehead and linked their hands together. Rose grinned at him and the two of them started their walk back to the TARDIS._

Only a few streets away from the flower shop where Fitz was working and where the Doctor and Rose were walking hand in hand, Cassie woke up sweating and screaming. She glanced around her tiny room, hoping and praying that her keepers had not heard her scream.

The house was silent and Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. The sticky heat and the terror of her nightmare had all but driven the thought of any more sleep from her mind. Without a clock in the room, nor any windows, she couldn't be certain if it was night or day.

The shackles around her right wrist that kept her tied to the bed rankled as she tried to get comfortable again. She'd only just found a good position to rest when the familiar sound of someone unbolting the door reached her ears. Terror filling her every nerve, Cassie sat up and drew her knees to her chest protectively.

The sound of footsteps on wooden staircase grew louder and louder until Cassie's door slammed open. Cassie flinched but months of captivity kept her scream from escaping. Dr. Charles did not spare her a glance as he closed the door behind himself and walked over to the chair set at the other end of the room.

Ignoring Cassie as usual, he started checking the bizarre machine assembled in front of him. It beeped and groaned, emitting a low pitched whine occasionally. As he kept examining the numbers and symbols on the machine, Cassie felt helpless tears fill her eyes. She'd been a prisoner for months, and every day he would come in and sit in that chair and check that damned machine. It would be an hour until he finished his examinations, when he would get up and leave her alone again. He never spoke to her, never touched her, never even looked at her when she would yell, scream, cry and beg him to let her go.

The only other person Cassie saw was a woman in her late fifties called Hannah. She wore a stiff black dress like a nun but Cassie knew that she was nothing of the sort. Hannah would come in to give her food twice a day and let her use the bathroom. In the early days, Cassie had tried to escape but Hannah always caught her and dragged her back to her room. She was surprisingly strong for such an older woman.

Cassie had been stuck in this hell-hole for months but it felt like years to her. She hadn't seen the sun since the moment she had been snatched after that rather late night rendezvous with Steve from down the road. She didn't actually remember being taken; one minute she had been running home and the next she had woken up shackled to a bed in this tiny room.

She had no idea if she was even in London anymore. For all she knew, she had been taken halfway across the world. At first, she assumed the worst but so far, no one had touched her or done more than keep her locked and shackled in this room. She had tried to ask them what it was they wanted but all she got was a stoic look from Hannah and complete non-reaction from Dr. Charles.

Dr. Charles finished his examination of the machine, and Cassie waited for him to leave but he stayed in his chair, looking at Cassie. The unexpected action scared Cassie but she felt slight hope rise in her chest at the same time. Maybe she was being set free.

"Hannah!" Dr. Charles called, his eyes fixed on Cassie.

Hannah's quick footsteps were heard as she entered Cassie's room. "Yes, Dr. Charles?" she asked in a clipped voice.

"She is ready," said Dr. Charles.

* * *

Fitz did not have any more customers until it was time to close. He moved mechanically to do the usual tasks before closing, not really focusing on his work. He had promised to meet some mates down at Molly's pub and even if he wasn't going to be playing tonight, he knew it was very likely that Molly would ask him to step in for a while.

He locked up the shop behind him and decided to walk down the few blocks to the pub. His whole life revolved around these blocks, he realised. Home, work, chippy and pub. All his life, Fitz had considered this part of his life to be just a platform until he began his real life. His very own Act Two of life, as he thought of it. Years passed, but he didn't lose that hope.

This year was going to be different, he knew. There was already talk of people saying that 1963 was special. This was going to be his year. He just knew it.

With an extra spring in his step, he sauntered down to the pub. It was still pretty early but he was met by a harried-looking Molly.

"Fitz! Thank god," she said.

"Easy, doll," he said with a chuckle. "When do you want me to play?"

"Around 7 ish? For an hour or so?" she asked beseechingly.

He laughed and nodded. "I'll do it, Molls," he said.

"Thanks, Fitz. You're a lifesaver," said Molly as she gave him a one-armed hug and hurried off to the small office behind the bar.

He checked the time and realised that he had an hour before he was needed on stage so he asked for a pint from Larry at the bar. Fitz glanced around the half-full bar and waved at Henry from the market. He was a decent enough bloke but very clingy as Fitz had found out the hard way. Fortunately, Henry had met some rich prat from Wales and Fitz was finally free. Good thing too, because Fitz hated being tied down.

The hour passed quite quickly and soon enough, Fitz found himself on the stage under a single spotlight, tuning his guitar. The crowd was mostly the popular music favouring kind, as he had gleaned from his discreet observations while sitting at the bar.

"Good evening," he greeted, purposely making his voice more husky, trying not smile when he saw a few girls in the corner booth sit up straighter. "My first song for the evening, 'Stranger on the Shore'."

Fitz played for forty minutes that evening and left amidst disappointed groans and thunderous applause from the audience that adored him. He loved the attention and he knew Molly loved the tips and customers it brought in when they knew Fitz Fortune was playing. He took his final bow and walked towards the bar for a much-needed drink.

"You are really good," he heard a sultry voice whisper in his ear.

He smelled the delicate perfume that seemed a bit posh for this part of town but he smiled regardless as he turned to appraise the blonde woman who had spoken. He didn't know if he should be disappointed or not when he realised that she wasn't the same blonde he had seen this morning, but this one...she was something else. Long legs, curves, curled blonde hair, red lipstick and a dress that would have been considered scandalous a mere year ago. Fitz appraised her like an artist would a particularly delightful piece of art.

"Fitz Fortune," he said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Enchanted."

She smiled. "Cassandra O'Brien," she said. "You can call me Cassie."

* * *

"So, Falls of Sona," said the Doctor as he approached the console and started entering the coordinates. "July, 3149. How does that sound?"

Rose smiled fondly at him. "Sounds great," she said.

"Splendid," he remarked as he went to pull the lever to release the brakes but stopped when he saw a mauve beacon lit up next to it.

"Something wrong?" asked Rose, recognising his concerned face.

"A mauve alert," he said. "Presence of alien technology."

"I thought there always is alien technology on Earth," said Rose. "You told me that there were crashes and things, not to mention the whole Roswell thing."

"The Roswell thing was completely not my fault," he protested petulantly. "No, this is technology that is being used. Somewhere very close to where we are."

"But we're in London and not exactly in an area prone to spaceship crashes," said Rose. "Unless there's something different in this universe," she added as an afterthought.

He grinned at her and reached under the console to pull a round socket and some wires free. "Come on," he said, melding them together with his sonic screwdriver as he walked towards the doors. "This won't take long, and we'll be on our way to the Falls."

Rose patted the TARDIS in sympathy, having felt the hum change when the Doctor had ruined the circuitry for his makeshift whatever-he-was-making. She followed after him, closing the doors behind her.

* * *

"Nice place," said Cassie as she looked around Fitz's flat.

"Thanks," said Fitz, not seeing the grimace that passed over her face. "Can I get you a drink?"

Instead of answering, she walked over to him and grabbed him into a kiss. Fitz was slightly startled at her forwardness but he was not the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. He started to take his jacket off when he noticed something strange. Cassie's eyes were open and while not that odd, Fitz realised that away from the dim light of the pub, they looked rather sickly. With a shudder, Fitz recalled his mother's eyes and their cloudiness after prolonged doses of medication.

He broke the kiss and stepped away from her. "Sorry," he muttered at the shocked look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Fitz fought back his revulsion. Her eyes were getting cloudier with every passing second, the bright blue going a dull, murky grey. "Look sweetie, I'm all for some fun myself but whatever the hell you took is doing a number on your eyes," he said. He knew it was too good to be true. Girls like her did not go home with blokes like him unless they were seriously high on some chems.

She went pale at the mention of her eyes and dashed over to a mirror in Fitz's flat. "My eyes," she said, looking at her reflection in horror. "My beautiful blue eyes!" she cried.

"Whoa, doll! Calm down," he said. These flats had thin walls and he didn't want to get evicted because princess over there couldn't control her voice. "Look, do you want a cigarette?"

She didn't appear to be listening to Fitz. "It wasn't supposed to be this way," she said, touching her face in the mirror. "I waited six months for the perfect body. It's not supposed to look ugly."

"Hey now, I didn't say you were ugly," said Fitz at once since it looked like she was gearing up for a world-class tantrum.

She snapped around to look at him, and Fitz's mouth fell open in horror when he saw the blue of her eyes all but gone. The grey colour seemed to have mixed in with the whites, making her look horrifying. "Jesus, doll. You have to go to the hospital," he said.

She ignored his words and stalked towards him. Fitz had an immediate instinctive response to step back. He remembered the story of the succubi that his mother used to tell him when he was a child. A demonic entity that seduced men and fed on them until they died. In that moment, Fitz truly thought that he was about to killed.

A practical part of his brain pointed out that he could run from her but her terrifying eyes seemed to have locked him in place. She opened her mouth and shouted out a horde of phrases in a language he couldn't understand, and Fitz started to feel faint. She was a demon, he was certain of it now. Fitz was just gearing up to scream for his life when the door to his flat banged open.

A bizarrely dressed man with long curly brown hair entered, followed by the blonde he had seen that afternoon. The man pointed a metallic silver cross at the demon who shrieked loudly. "Now, Rose!" he yelled.

The blonde, Rose, threw what looked like ordinary water from a silver flask, at Cassie who shrieked in pain and started looking for an exit.

Fitz could only watch in horror when Cassie realised that there was no escape and decided to just run through the window to jump out of the flat. It was a sheer drop and Fitz knew that it was impossible to survive.

"She's gone," said the man as he ran to the window and peered out. "We won't be able to catch up with her."

It was all too much for Fitz, who promptly passed out.

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. So, what did you think?**

**The explanations will come soon, I promise. As for Fitz's sexuality, he is canonically bisexual and if you don't think so, seriously reread the novels. Honestly, his favourite pickup line was '...from where I come from, we shag as way of greeting.'**

**Anyway, Part 3 will have some explanations about the characters that were introduced, as well as more Doctor, Rose and Fitz. It will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


	31. New Earth: Devil You Know

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thank you for the response on the last chapter. As promised, here is Part 3 with further action and explanations.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**New Earth: Devil You Know**

_Previously_

_Fitz could only watch in horror when Cassie realised that there was no escape and decided to just run through the window to jump out of the flat. It was a sheer drop and Fitz knew that it was impossible to survive._

_"She's gone," said the man as he ran to the window and peered out. "We won't be able to catch up with her."_

_It was all too much for Fitz, who promptly passed out._

**Several hours ago**

"We've been going around in circles," said Rose as the Doctor readjusted the tracking device again.

It was the oddest one Rose had seen yet. The Doctor had unfurled the round socket and used the delicate metal to make an old-fashioned cross. There were wires going around them, which held them in place but also connected the circuit.

"The signal keeps changing," he said, starting to sound a bit frustrated too. He was supposed to be taking Rose somewhere to relax and enjoy, not drag her around London in search of an anomalous signal. He realised that they had been searching since that afternoon and the sun had gone down a while ago. He sighed and looked at her apologetically.

"Tell me what exactly we are looking for," she said.

"A possessed person," he said.

"Possessed by what?" asked Rose, her mind immediately jumping to the Mara, before being reminded of demons. She didn't voice it though, because she was certain that demons didn't actually exist.

"That is a good question," he said. They passed by a chippy and he stopped. "Come on, let's go have some chips and get something to drink."

Rose nodded at once, grateful for the break. The chippy was more or less like the hundreds of the sort around the London that Rose remembered. So far, she hadn't seen a glaringly obvious difference to her old universe but if what the Doctor had said was right, then the Time Lords had found the universe most closely compatible to their old one.

The Doctor found them a booth while Rose ordered chips and some fizzy drinks for the two of them. A quick look at her watch told her it was past 7 and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. No wonder she was ravenous. By the time she returned to their table with their drinks and two baskets of chips balanced in her arms, the Doctor had covered the table with what looked like the entire contents of his pockets.

"Should I even ask?" asked Rose, raising her eyebrows as he hastily began to clear up space for her to set down the chips and drinks.

"I'm looking for a flask," he said, plunging his entire arm inside his coat pocket.

Rose noticed the middle-aged woman at the next booth raise her eyebrows at the seemingly impossible action. "Magician," Rose told her as a means for explanation. She turned back to the Doctor who had procured a flask from the depths of his pockets and was holding it up triumphantly. "What do you need that for?" she asked, picking up the vinegar to dunk on her chips.

"Oh, perfect," he said, snatching the bottle out of her hands and emptying it inside the flask.

"Oi! I was about to eat that," she said indignantly. "Why are you putting vinegar in that?"

"Acetic acid acts as a mild skin irritant for post psychological transplant patients," he said, starting to cram the odds and ends back into his pockets.

"Post psycho-what?" asked Rose, trying a chip without the vinegar before making a face and grabbing the bottle from the next table.

"Psychological transplant, or an easier way would be to call it 'possession'," he said, grimacing at the amount of vinegar she was pouring onto her chips. "Mind of one person, the body of another."

"There's technology that can do that?" asked Rose incredulously. "Which idiot came up with that?"

"A very odd human being named Dr. Charles Davy," said the Doctor. "He disappeared shortly after his invention, so he wasn't around to see the destruction his little transplant device caused. The so-called psychograft has since been banned on every civilised world."

"But how come it's here in 1963?" asked Rose.

"Good question," he said. "It will be at least four and a half billion years before it will be invented. That is what worries me."

The two of them ate quietly for a while as they contemplated possible scenarios that would explain such an advanced and futuristic technology being in use. "So your tracking device will be finding the transplant thingy, will it?" she asked, looking at the contraption speculatively.

"No," he said. "It will be tracking the person on whom the psychograft has been used."

**Now**

"He's just fainted," said the Doctor. "Culture shock, that is all."

"I saw him this morning," said Rose as she pressed a cool cloth to Fitz's head. "He works at a flower shop just down the road."

"Did he tell you his name?" asked the Doctor.

"Called himself Fitz Fortune but said it wasn't his real name," she said. Fitz stirred and groaned in pain. "You alright, mate?" she asked him.

"Jesus Christ, my head hurts," he groaned.

"That's cause you fell like a sack of potatoes and hit your head," said Rose as she helped him sit up.

"We have to go," said the Doctor urgently. "Someone's called the police. This might be a bit difficult to explain."

Fitz blinked stupidly at him and then looked between the two of them. "Who the hell are you two?" he asked.

"Oh, our apologies," said the Doctor pleasantly. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler. Now, Fitz Kreiner, I believe it is time to run."

Fitz barely had any time to react before the Doctor and Rose hauled him to his feet and pulled him along with them. He half-stumbled, half-ran, using two of them to support himself since his legs still felt a bit wobbly and his head hurt like hell. The police were starting to gather near the building, but the Doctor and Rose pulled him towards the back alley which was quite empty.

"We can't stay here. We have to keep moving," said Rose, looking around at the crowd that was starting to gather.

"Right, I've had enough," snapped Fitz, trying to sound angry but his voice came out oddly squeaky. "What the hell was with that demon girl? And who are you two? How did you know my name?"

"All very excellent questions, but we have to keep moving," said the Doctor. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" he asked Fitz.

Fitz stared at him incredulously but nodded dumbly. "Molly's pub," he said. "This way."

* * *

Cassie slammed the door open as she stomped into the house. Charles emerged from the kitchen and stared at her in horror. "What in the world happened to you?" he asked, taking in her dishevelled and bloodied appearance.

She snarled angrily at him and grabbed his neck in a vice grip. "You said the psychograft was successful," she yelled as he started gasping for breath. "This body started falling apart in one evening!"

"Let him go, Cassie," snapped Hannah, who had run into the room having heard the screams.

"Stay out of it, you bitch," Cassie snarled at Hannah. But she loosened her grip on Charles' neck. "We worked so hard for this and you told me it had worked!"

Charles was wheezing as he tried to control his breathing. "I...thought it had," he said panting. "The girl's body must have been too weak."

Cassie took her hands off his neck and started pacing angrily. "We found the perfect girl. Blonde hair, blue eyes, just six months shy of being eighteen, even with a name similar to mine. We exposed her to a daily resonance pattern of sonic waves to make sure that the psychograft could be permanent," she said. "What are we going to do now? We need a new body."

"At such short notice? It will be hard," said Hannah. "What about the sonic resonations?"

"The sonic resonations are inconsequential after the first transfer," said Charles. "Any body will do, but we have to act fast," he added, looking at Cassie whose body was starting to develop lesions.

"Anyone would do?" asked Cassie contemplatively.

"Yes," said Charles.

"Good," she smirked before advancing towards Hannah.

"No," Hannah gasped. "You can't! Charles, stop her!"

"You've outlived your usefulness, Hannah," said Cassie. "You're old and dry, and really godawful ugly, but beggars can't be choosers. You will do very nicely until I find another one."

"NO! Please, don't!" Hannah screamed as a silvery mist escaped Cassie and shot towards her body.

Cassie's body fell to the floor and Hannah stood up straighter, with a triumphant smile. "Ah," said Cassandra/Hannah. "Not as much fun as that one was," she added, nudging Cassie's body with her toe. "Get rid of it," she snapped at Charles.

"How?" he asked, looking a bit shaken at hearing Cassandra's orders through Hannah's mouth.

She paused at his question before a slow smirk appeared on her face. "Dump her body outside the hovel they call Molly's pub on Mercer Street. The rest will take care of itself."

* * *

"...and her eyes were white. Like a succubus. I'm telling you, she was a demon!" Fitz rambled on, downing his third glass of sherry.

"Perhaps enough of that," said the Doctor, gently prying the rest of the bottle away from Fitz. He exchanged a look with Rose, before turning back to Fitz. "So, you met her here?"

"Yeah," he said, reaching into his jacket for his pack of cigarettes. "Either of you got a light?" he asked.

"No," said Rose with a grimace. "You really shouldn't smoke, you know. It gives you cancer."

"Give over, doll. As if that's really true," he said, searching his own pockets for some matches.

"Actually it is," she said, narrowing her eyes at his dismissive tone. "Tobacco is bad for your lungs…"

"Rose, perhaps not now," interrupted the Doctor. "Fitz, hold off on that cigarette which is indeed harmful for you, and tell me if you remember anything else about Cassie."

Fitz put the cigarette away unhappily. "She said her full name was Cassandra O'Brien," he said sulkily. "That's about it. We didn't really talk much."

Rose looked at the Doctor who was stroking his chin thoughtfully. "You know her?" she asked.

No, but that does not mean that it is insignificant," he answered. "However," he added in a slightly more optimistic voice. "The device has picked up her signature, and it will be easier to track her now."

Rose nodded. "Let's go then," she said.

"Steady on," said Fitz, looking at them like they were mad. "You are actually going to go after her?"

"Well, it is sort of what we do," shrugged Rose.

"The question is, do you want to come?" asked the Doctor, a smile playing at his lips.

Fitz was about to scoff and refuse, when he realised that this was looking rather like an episode of The Twilight Zone. He could be one of those handsome, dashing men who would crack the mystery and search out the truth. He nodded quickly and stood up. "Yeah, I'll go."

"Splendid," said the Doctor as the three of them left Molly's pub, Fitz waving gratefully at Molly as they passed. They emerged out into the cooling night air and glanced around. The street was all but deserted, except for a few stragglers swaying drunkenly around.

"Don't worry," Fitz told Rose when she glanced around a bit apprehensively. "I'll protect you."

Rose stared at him and gave an unlady-like snort. "Does it look like I need protecting?" she asked, raising her eyebrows as if daring him to contradict her.

"Got it," interrupted the Doctor, looking up from the tracking device. "This way, come on."

Rose shook her head at Fitz and picked up her pace to follow the Doctor, only to run into him when he stopped in the alley behind the pub. "What is it?" she asked, the darkness making it harder for her to see.

"Hang on," said Fitz, pulling out a matchbox from his jacket and lighting a match. "Jesus Christ!" he yelled, dropping the match when he saw what the Doctor was bending over. "Is that who I think it is?" he asked, his voice going high with fright.

"I am afraid so," said the Doctor. "The body was too weak to sustain the transplant, even if someone made very sure to prepare her the best way they could." He sounded furious and Fitz flinched as a cold shiver passed down his spine.

"There's someone there," said Rose suddenly, looking further down the alley. Before either the Doctor or Fitz could stop her, she was off running in that direction.

"Rose!" called the Doctor, looking up from his examination of Cassie's body.

"I'll go after him," they heard her reply faintly before she jumped over the railing and landed on the other side of the street. The Doctor gritted his teeth as he turned to Fitz. "Stay here, I'll go after her," he said.

"No way," said Fitz at once. "I ain't waiting with a dead body. Nuh-uh."

"Fine, come along then," said the Doctor as they started running in the direction that Rose had gone. Fitz was only too happy to get away from the body. But by the time they had jumped over the railing and come out on the other side, Rose was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Rose crouched in the shadows as she watched the thin, grey-haired man enter one of the houses on the quiet street. She had made sure that he hadn't seen her while she had been tailing him all the way from the pub alley.

She knew that the Doctor would be furious at her for running away but this was their only chance to find the people responsible for doing that to the poor girl lying dead in that alley. Rose had to swallow back her revulsion as she remembered the cloudy eyes and the red lesions on her skin, not to mention the way she had been thrown away like trash in a urine-soaked alley.

Waiting for a few minutes, she gathered her wits about her and came up with a plan. She had to see who that man was and what they had in that house. If that transplant device was used recently, it was very likely that it was still there. Deciding to err on the side of caution, she sent off the address to the Doctor on the phone she had insisted that he needed to have ever since they had been in this universe. She emerged from the shadows and quickly patted her hair down as she went over to the house and knocked softly.

The door was opened by a woman in her late-fifties, wearing an old-fashioned black dress. "Good evening," said Rose with her most charming smile. "I am sorry to bother you but I appear to be lost. Would you happen to have a phone that I could use?"

The woman appraised her quietly before a wide smile appeared on her face. "But of course, my dear," she said in a sickly sweet voice. "Such a beautiful girl, all alone at a time like this. Come in, come in. I would be delighted to help."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 3. Thanks for reading.**

**So, what did you think? We got more on Cassie and what's going on in good old London town. **

**How are you guys liking Fitz? I admit I was a bit reluctant to include him but I am having fun writing him so far.**

**The final part will have them dealing with Cassandra. It will be up soon. See you then!**

**~ Phoenix**


End file.
